LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Parliament Square

Greg Knight: To ask the Leader of the House what consultations he had with Westminster City Council before work commenced on the reduction of the highway width around Parliament Square; what assessment he has made of the potential for delays to hon. Members travelling to the Palace of Westminster to vote; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Lansley: I have had no such consultations with Westminster city council concerning the reduction of the highway width around Parliament Square. However, authorities in both Houses were alerted to the impending works on 20 December and 10 January by Westminster city council and its contractors. Members and other users of the parliamentary estate were informed via a news item on the parliamentary intranet on 6 January—a week prior to work commencing. There was no formal consultation on the likely impact.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Driver and Vehicle Agency

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last met ministerial colleagues at the Department for Transport to discuss the potential loss of jobs at the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Coleraine.

Theresa Villiers: I have had regular meetings and discussions with my Cabinet and ministerial colleagues on these and other matters affecting Northern Ireland.

Holocaust Educational Trust

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the work and objectives of the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Theresa Villiers: I very much support the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
	I have not had direct discussions on this matter with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers, but I understand that in 2012 the Trust was seeking funding from the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland for Northern Ireland schools to participate in the Lessons from Auschwitz Project. This enables sixth-form students and their teachers to take part in two afternoon seminars and a one-day visit to the former Nazi camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in order then to pass on the lessons of the Holocaust in their schools and communities.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of staff employed by (i) her Department, (ii) agencies of her Department and (iii) contractors of her Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

Theresa Villiers: No staff or contractors employed by my Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. My Department does not have any agencies.

Race Relations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources her Department has allocated to promote anti-racism and combat anti-Semitism in each of the last three years.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office does not fund promotion of these important activities as under section 4 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 they are devolved matters and therefore the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive Minsters.

Revenue and Customs

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last met ministerial colleagues at HM Treasury to discuss the potential loss of HM Revenue and Customs jobs at sites in Derry, Enniskillen and Newry.

Theresa Villiers: I have had regular meetings and discussions with my Cabinet and ministerial colleagues on these and other matters affecting Northern Ireland.

Welfare State: Reform

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last met with ministerial colleagues at HM Treasury to discuss the imposition of financial penalties on the Northern Ireland Executive arising from the decision not to implement the Government's welfare reform programme.

Theresa Villiers: I have had regular meetings and discussions with my Cabinet and ministerial colleagues on these and other matters affecting Northern Ireland.

SCOTLAND

Conditions of Employment

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any person working in his Department at (a) Dover House, London and (b) Melville Crescent, Edinburgh is employed on zero-hours contracts.

Alistair Carmichael: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies. None of the staff working in either Dover House or Melville Crescent, are on zero hours contracts.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not hold any contracts with (a) Curzon Education or (b) the Curzon Institute.

Devolution

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he makes of the extent to which the Scottish Government makes use of the powers already devolved to it when he decides on proposals for the further devolution of powers to Scotland.

David Mundell: The use of devolved powers is a matter for the devolved Administration. Any proposal to devolve powers, for example as part of the Scotland Act Orders programme under the 1998 Act, is considered on the individual merits of the proposal.
	The Scotland Act 2012 represented the largest ever transfer of fiscal powers from Westminster and was based on the recommendations of the cross-party Calman Commission and cross-party support in both the UK and Scottish Parliaments.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of staff employed by (a) his Department and (b) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies. All staff on such arrangements are paid more than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
	The Scotland Office has one contract which provides security for the office in Edinburgh. The Scotland Office does not set the wages paid by the contractors to its workers; however, the wage paid by the contractor is above the national minimum wage.

Surveys

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the most recent staff survey carried out by his Department.

Alistair Carmichael: The Civil Service People Survey co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office took place in October 2013. Departments are due to publish their results by 13 February 2014. A copy will be placed in the Library at this time.

JUSTICE

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the Independent Review of the Waterhouse Tribunal; and when he expects this review to be published.

Simon Hughes: The conduct of the Review is a matter for Lady Justice Macur. She is on record as saying that her Review would be thorough and that she would not draw any conclusions until she had considered all the evidence.
	The Government looks forward to receiving the report of her findings later this year.

Human Rights

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what cases were pursued in the (a) High Court, (b) Court of Appeal and (c) Supreme Court under the Human Rights Act 1998 in each year since that Act's implementation; what human rights issues were raised in each case; what the nature of each case pursued was; what the ruling of the court was; and what the total cost to the public purse of each such trial was, including any compensation awarded.

Simon Hughes: Under section 7 of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Convention rights listed in Schedule 1 to the Act can potentially be relied on in any legal proceedings before a court or tribunal. It is not possible to indicate what proceedings rely on the Human Rights Act, either as the main claim or in connection with other claims made in the proceedings, and therefore the information requested is not available.

TRANSPORT

Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent introduction of a new drug driving offence on people on prescription medication who are required to drive for their work.

Robert Goodwill: The Government believes that its proposed approach to the new drug driving offence published in last summer's consultation will not have any impact on those who are driving for work and are also taking prescribed medication. The consultation and its accompanying impact assessment is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/drug-driving-proposed-regulations
	The new offence includes a statutory defence for any driver who may have a specified drug in their body over the specified limit if they have been lawfully prescribed it and have taken it in accordance with the advice of a health care professional.
	It is already an offence to drive while impaired by drugs, Any driver needs to consider their fitness to drive when taking medication and we do not expect that to change with the introduction of the new drug driving offence.

Driving: Licensing

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to use the official Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency website as a channel for applications for provisional driving licences and driving licence renewals rather than websites which charge fees to check application forms.

Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has published advice to remind motorists that GOV.UK is the first stop for motoring services and that other websites may charge additional fees. The DVLA directs motorists to GOV.UK in all its leaflets, forms and through its social media channels.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to restrict heavy goods vehicles to the inside lane on motorways, when, due to roadworks, a four or three lane carriageway is reduced to two lanes.

Robert Goodwill: Lane restrictions can be put in place for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) when reduced road space is available through roadworks and where narrow lanes are in use. We consider the site specific conditions for each set of roadworks so do not have any plans to introduce a blanket restriction on the movements of HGVs to the inside lane as this can result in nose to tail convoys which can impact on other road users.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to protect historic waterway assets from the negative effects of High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: The route selection for HS2 has sought to avoid direct impacts on heritage assets and avoid or reduce adverse impacts on rivers, streams, ponds, canals and groundwater. With both the Proposed Scheme for Phase One and the current proposed scheme for Phase Two, HS2 Ltd have been engaging with stakeholders, including the Canal and River Trust, Environment Agency, English Heritage and local councils with regards to assets potentially impacted by HS2. In addition, the Canal and River Trust has a role within the hybrid Bill and have Protective Provisions in Part 4 of Schedule 31 to the Bill, which set out the protections to be provided for any canal or waterway owned or managed by the trust that may be affected by the works.

Large Goods Vehicles

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require HGV drivers to use satellite navigation systems which identify roads that are unsuitable for such vehicles.

Robert Goodwill: I refer my hon. Friend to my answers of 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 659W and 4 November 2013, Official Report, column 43W,given to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Jessica Lee).

Motorways: Accidents

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours the UK's managed motorways sections were closed in part or totally in either direction due to accidents in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) by scheme.

Robert Goodwill: Incidents recorded in the Highways Agency Command and Control systems prior to April 2013 were unable to record accurately information regarding whether a smart motorway was operational at the time an incident occurred. In April 2013 an internal review allowed for more accurate data to be collected, therefore this has been used to collate this response.
	Between 1 April 2013 and 31 December 2013 (inc.), 276 road traffic collisions were recorded which resulted in part or total closure of an English smart motorway scheme, with a total lane impact duration of 191 hours and 39 minutes.
	These figures include any closure from one lane to a total closure (all lanes both directions). There have been no road traffic collisions within an operating smart motorway scheme since April 2013 that has resulted in a whole (all lanes one direction) or total (all lanes both directions) closure.
	The incident duration provided is the total impact duration, that being the time where the capacity of one or more running lanes has been reduced and not just the time that all lanes were closed.
	The information is broken down by scheme (both directions) as follows:
	M1 J10-13: 92 road traffic collisions, total impact duration 69 hours and 21 minutes.
	M4 J19-20: four road traffic collisions, total impact duration four hours and 27 minutes.
	M42 J3a-7: 38 road traffic collisions, total impact duration 23 hours and 44 minutes.
	M6 J4-5: 14 road traffic collisions, total impact duration 11 hours and 29 minutes.
	M6 J8-10a: 89 road traffic collisions, total impact duration 51 hours and 34 minutes.
	M62 J25-30: 39 road traffic collisions, total impact duration 31 hours and four minutes.

Motorways: Air Pollution

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect on air quality between junctions 28 and 31 of the M1 of the 2013 changes to the managed motorway design standard.

Robert Goodwill: A detailed air quality assessment has been undertaken for the implementation of smart motorways, designed in line with ‘Interim Advice Note (IAN) 161/13 Smart Motorway Requirements—All Lane Running’ but operated at a mandatory limit of 60 mph from 7 am to 7 pm seven days a week for the M1 between junctions 28 and 31.
	The results have been reported in a draft environmental assessment report which is currently subject to review with statutory environmental bodies and will be made available to the public in early February when the Notice of Determination is scheduled for publication. In summary the scheme is predicted to have a broadly neutral affect with no significant adverse impacts in relation to air quality between J28 and J31 of the M1 1due to the mitigation provided by the proposed speed limit.

Parking: Airports

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that charges levied for car parking at UK airports are not excessive where these are not subject to competitive pressures.

Robert Goodwill: The Department does not regulate parking charges on private land (such as at airports), and private landowners are free to decide the level at which these are set. However, they must clearly inform motorists of the applicable charges (through appropriate signing), and failure to do so is covered by consumer protection law.

RAF Northolt

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether RAF Northolt is required to hold a Civil Aviation Authority aerodrome licence; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: As a military aerodrome, RAF Northolt is not covered by the requirements of the Air Navigation Order and does not need an aerodrome licence. It does, however, have to meet standards set for military aerodromes in Joint Services Publication 554. Civil aircraft operators are responsible for ensuring the suitability of an aerodrome for the flight in question. The RAF ensures that civil operators using RAF Northolt are made aware of any variations between military and civil standards. We are satisfied that this enables civil aircraft operations at RAF Northolt to be conducted safely.

Road Humps

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the new guidance on street clutter, including road humps, produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and published on 28 August 2013, what plans he has to update his Department's guidance on the installation of road humps.

Robert Goodwill: Provision of traffic calming, including road humps, is a matter for local highway authorities. The Department has no plans to review its guidance on designing and installing traffic calming given in Local Transport Note 1/07: Traffic Calming. This document is available to download from:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-notes

TREASURY

Immigration: Effect on Wage Levels

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect of immigration on national wage levels.

Nicky Morgan: The effect of immigration on national wage levels depends on a range of factors including conditions in the labour market. The Government notes the wider evidence on the economic impacts of immigration and uses this to inform policy making. This Government has taken action to bring immigration back under control, whilst continuing to attract the brightest and the best who contribute to the economy.

Cheques

David Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure the continued use of cheques.

Danny Alexander: The Government has just legislated for a tough new Payment Systems Regulator, which will ensure that payment systems—including the cheque—are operated in a way that takes into account the needs of end-users, rather than simply the interests of the banks.
	We will also be consulting shortly on introducing cheque imaging, which will further safeguard the future of the cheque. This will improve the efficiency of cheque processing, making it a more sustainable service for the banks to continue to provide.

Micro-businesses

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent fiscal steps he has taken to support micro-businesses (a) on and (b) off the Isle of Wight.

Nicky Morgan: The employment allowance will come into effect from April 2014, enabling every business and charity to deduct up to £2,000 from their employer NICs bill each year. This will reduce the costs of employment, and will support micro businesses, including those in the Isle of Wight who aspire to grow by hiring their first employee or expanding their work force.
	Although figures are not available for the Isle of Wight specifically, in the wider south-east region up to 154,000 micro employers will be able to benefit, with 66,000 lifted out of employer NICs altogether. Of the roughly £800 million of NICs relief that micro employers across the UK will receive in 2014-15, £135 million will go to the south-east.

Income Tax

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to reduce income tax.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander).

Child Poverty

John Cryer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of child poverty.

Nicky Morgan: Estimates of child poverty are published in the National Statistics Household Below Average Incomes (HBAI) series.
	The Government remains committed to ending child poverty. However, the Government strongly believes looking at relative income in isolation is not a helpful measure to track progress towards this.
	Better measures of child poverty, which drive the right action to tackle the root causes of child poverty, are needed.

Revenue and Customs

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of expenditure on HM Revenue and Customs procurement contracts was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) the North East, (f) the North West, (g) Yorkshire and the Humber, (h) the East Midlands, (i) the West Midlands, (j) the East of England, (k) London, (l) the South East and (m) the South West in the last three years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: HMRC's direct and indirect spend with SMEs from 2009-10 to 2012-13 has been reported on GOV.UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/buying-and-managing-government-goods-and-services-more-efficiently-and-effectively/supporting-pages/making-sure-government-gets-full-value-from-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises
	We do not hold this information on a regional basis.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in assessing entitlement to which benefits an individual's existing entitlement to disability living allowance is taken into account by his Department.

Michael Penning: Disability living allowance (DLA) is not taken into account as an income in any of the income related benefits. In general, it has a beneficial effect by giving rise to either entitlement to a benefit or to an increase in the amount paid.
	This applies in the following circumstances:
	Employment and support allowance can be paid to qualifying full-time students who are in receipt of DLA.
	Carer's allowance and income support can be paid to a person who is caring for a DLA recipient.
	DLA may qualify claimants for increased payments of jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance, income support, state pension credit and housing benefit.
	DLA may also qualify claimants in receipt of the income related benefits to a higher earnings disregard.

Housing Benefit: Disability

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities have decided to take into account entitlement to disability living allowance in assessing applications for discretionary housing payment; and which authorities have decided not to do so.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pension does not hold data about which local authorities have taken into account disability living allowance in assessing applications for discretionary housing payments (DHP).
	Local authorities have discretion in determining discretionary housing payments (DHP) at a local level, based on the circumstance of each individual case. For cases where DLA is involved DWP guidance states that local authorities may wish to consider the purpose of the claimant's income, and where appropriate can decide to disregard this income benefits as it is intended to be used to help pay for the extra costs of disability. In addition LAs may like to bear in mind that such money might be committed to other liabilities for which the money was intended.
	This year the Government contribution to discretionary housing payments has been increased to £180 million. As part of this, local authorities are able to bid for funding from a £20 million reserve fund. The scheme is open to bids until 3 February 2014.

Housing Benefit: Disability

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department's guidance to local authorities on assessing applications for discretionary housing payments, gave discretion to authorities to take account of applicants' entitlement to disability living allowance.

Steve Webb: The regulations covering discretionary housing payments (DHPs) are The Discretionary Financial Assistance Regulations 2001. These regulations allow local authorities to ask for information relating to a claimant's circumstances and income, including entitlement to DLA, as appropriate to enable them to make a decision on a DHP application.
	DWP guidance states that local authorities may wish to consider the purpose of the claimant's income, and where appropriate can decide to disregard income from disability related benefits as they are intended to be used to help pay for the extra costs of disability. In addition local authorities may like to bear in mind that such money might be committed to other liabilities for which the money was intended.
	Local authorities have a duty to act fairly, reasonably and consistently. Each case must be decided on its own merits, and decisions should be consistent throughout the year.
	However, if a claimant is refused DHP, they could ask the local authority for the decision to be reviewed.
	This year the Government contribution to discretionary housing payments has been increased to £180 million. As part of this, local authorities are able to bid for funding from a £20 million reserve fund. The scheme is open to bids until 3 February 2014.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to promote the effect of Housing Benefit Circular U1/2014 to those most likely to be affected by it.

Esther McVey: Housing benefit bulletin U1/2014 was issued to all local authorities on 8 January 2014.
	It was also published on the Gov.uk website on 9 January 2014.
	It is for local authorities who administer the housing benefit scheme to take the appropriate steps to identify affected cases.

Industrial Health and Safety

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward legislative proposals to expand the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations to include long latency diseases.

Michael Penning: There are no proposals to amend these regulations to expand the existing requirements for the reporting of diseases with long latency periods.
	In October 2013, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) formally implemented changes to simplify the mandatory reporting of workplace injuries for businesses.
	The primary purpose of RIDDOR13 is to capture relevant information, which will allow HSE to focus resources on effective and timely regulatory activity. Diseases with long latency periods will, by their nature, not develop, and be diagnosed, until many years after exposure occurred.

Pensioners: Poverty

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of pensioners living in poverty in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last three years.

Steve Webb: The annually published Households Below Average Income National Statistics report provides figures on pensioners living below 60% of median income, after housing costs are deducted from income. The sample size is not sufficient to provide estimates for constituencies. As such, figures for Coventry North East are not available.
	Three year averages are used for the nations and regions of the UK to account for volatility. The latest figures available, covering 2009-10 to 2011-12 show that the number of pensioners living in low income in the West Midlands is 200,000 (15%), while the number of pensioners living in low income in England is 1.4 million (15%).
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000 and whole percentage point.
	Notes:
	1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2009-10 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
	2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, National insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes.

Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of expenditure on his Department's procurement contracts was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) the North East, (f) the North West,(g) Yorkshire and the Humber,(h)the East Midlands,(i)the West Midlands,(j)the East of England,(k)London,(l)the South East and(m)the South West in the last three years for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: DWP's direct and indirect spend with SMEs from 2009-10 to 20012-13 has been reported on GOV.UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/buying-and-managing-government-goods-and-services-more-efficiently-and-effectively/supporting-pages/making-sure-government-gets-full-value-from-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises
	We do not hold this information on a regional basis.
	The Department is fully committed to the Government target and have an action plan in place which details its opportunities and areas of focus in the next two years.

Social Security Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how many owners of small businesses are in receipt of benefits.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK citizens receive more in welfare than they pay in tax.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked |o reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK citizens Receive more in welfare than they pay in tax (184507).
	The Office for National Statistics' data on taxes and benefits is collected at the household rather than individual level. In 2011/12, the most recent year for which figures are available, 10.0 million households in the UK received more in direct cash benefits from the state than they paid in total tax (the sum of both direct taxes such as income tax, and indirect taxes such as VAT and excise duties).
	When taking into account total benefits, which include both direct cash benefits and the benefit-in-kind households receive from state expenditure on services such as education and the NHS, in 2011/12, 13.7 million households received more in total benefits than they paid in total tax. These figures are shown in Table 1.
	These estimates are produced from the UK's Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income data series, which is based on Living Costs and Food Survey, an annual survey of approximately 5,000 households.
	These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Table 1: Households which received more in benefits than paid in tax, 2011/12 
			  Number of households (thousand) Percentage of households 
			 Households which received more in cash benefits1 than paid in total tax2 10,003 37.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Households which received more in total benefits3 than paid in total tax2 13,710 51.9 
			 1 Cash benefits include cash payments received from the state, including the state pension. 2 Total tax includes all direct taxes (Income Tax, employees' NI contributions and council tax) and indirect taxes (taxes such as VAT which are indirectly borne by households through higher prices). 3 Total benefits include cash benefits (1) and benefits in kind, the benefits households get from state expenditure on services for which the benefit to individual households can be measured, which include the NHS, education and transport, housing and school meal subsidies. Source: Office for National Statistics

Social Security Benefits

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's statistical summary, published on 22 January 2014, what analysis he has undertaken of the increase in the number of people in the working age ESA/IB client group indicated in the early estimates between August and November 2013.

Esther McVey: We cannot say definitively why this small increase has occurred. There may be a number of factors including increases in new claims to employment and support allowance and/or reductions in the number of claimants leaving the benefit.

Social Security Benefits

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 601W, on social security benefits, for what reason there is no information available for the amount spent on advertising (a) council tax benefit in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2012, (b) winter fuel allowance in 2012 and (c) pension credit in 2012.

Esther McVey: Our previous response of 6 January 2014, Official Report, columns 60-61W, noted that the Department rarely advertises specific benefits over and above maintaining a range of information leaflets. The three benefits quoted (winter fuel allowance, council tax benefits and pension credit) were advertised only in the years with figures supplied. There was no advertising conducted for any of these three benefits in 2012, and no advertising of council tax benefit in 2010.

Unemployed People: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on refunding the cost of travel by jobseekers in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency between October and December 2013.

Esther McVey: The cost of refunding travel by jobseekers to Kilmarnock Jobcentre from October to December 2013 was:
	October 2013 to December 2013: £7,448.31

Universal Credit

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 596W, on universal credit: Hammersmith and Fulham, when his Department plans to make universal credit available to foreign nationals.

Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous response, universal credit is at present only available to British citizens. There are currently no plans to extend eligibility to foreign nationals yet.

War Pensions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will reassess his Department's practice of including War Disablement Pension payments as a source of income when calculating benefit entitlements.

Esther McVey: War Disablement Pensions and guaranteed income payments from the Armed Forces Compensation scheme are to be fully disregarded in universal Credit. There are no plans to make any changes to the treatment of these payments in other benefits.

Winter Fuel Payments

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for winter fuel payments were made in the (a) North East of England and (b) UK in 2013-14 to date; how many such claims were paid on time; how many payments of such claims have been delayed; and how long the delay has been in each case.

Steve Webb: Information on winter fuel payments for winter 2013-14 is not yet available.

Winter Fuel Payments: West Midlands

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received the winter fuel allowance in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency and (c) the West Midlands in each of the last three years.

Steve Webb: The information for the last available three years is in the following table:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Coventry local authority 57,510 56,730 56,130 
			 Coventry North East constituency 17,820 17,530 17,300 
			 West Midlands region 1,178,890 1,168,920 1,164,240 
			 Notes: 1. Reductions in the overall numbers are primarily due to the qualifying age for winter fuel payments increasing in line with the increase in women's state pension age. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and therefore totals may not sum. 3. These figures refer to the final winter fuel payment run i.e. they include the late payment run figures. 4. Figures from 2009-10 to 2012-13 are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures Source: Information Governance and Security Directorate, DWP

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to issue tenders for the successor to the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Work programme is contracted to 31 March 2016 at which time referrals would cease and the provider will manage existing customers until they have finished the programme. A decision on re-tender will be made closer to that time and will be published in due course.

PRIME MINISTER

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister what contact he has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute.

David Cameron: Details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis. Details can be accessed on the gov.uk website.

Lynton Crosby

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister what level of official Whitehall security clearance Mr Lynton Crosby has had in each of the last 12 months; and which categories of material and information those levels of clearance have entitled him to view or discuss.

David Cameron: Mr Crosby is not employed by the Government.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister to which (a) Ministers, (b) civil servants, (c) special advisers and (d) other people the 10 Downing Street Strategy Unit's weekly report on upcoming business, known as the grid note, is circulated.

David Cameron: There has been no change to the practice followed by the previous Administration. The weekly report on upcoming business is copied to relevant people.

World Economic Forum

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister which Government Ministers attended the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2014; from which budget each Minister's travel and accommodation expenses were met from in each case; and what value for money assessment was made prior to each Minister's respective attendance.

David Cameron: Details of ministerial overseas travel are published quarterly and are available on the gov.uk website.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Belarus

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his Department's policy to close the visa section of the British embassy in Minsk, Belarus; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Since 2007 the Home Office has closed many of its smaller visa sections to concentrate decision making in larger hubs across the world in order to make efficiencies and bring more consistency to decision making. As part of this process, decision making for applications submitted by residents of Belarus will move from the small visa section in Minsk to the large visa processing hub at the British embassy in Moscow. The visa section in the embassy in Minsk will close and a Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by a commercial partner will open. This change is expected to happen by the end of April 2014.

British Nationals Abroad: Crime

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the qualifying criteria are for loans offered to family members where UK residents are harmed abroad.

Mark Simmonds: There are no specific loans available to family members when British nationals are harmed abroad. Repatriation loans are offered to British nationals abroad facing exceptionally serious difficulties of various kinds (not limited to those harmed or who are victims of crime). Loans are issued against an undertaking to repay and the recipient’s passport is withheld until payment is received. Persons affected must have exhausted all other options to get financial help, and be able to sign an agreement to repay. Loans are not available for uncapped expenses such as medical or legal fees.
	Practical support for families is also available from organisations the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides funding for, such as Victim Support Homicide Service and Missing Abroad. This help takes many forms, but can include securing financial help for families such as negotiating reduced travel costs.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the benefits of Citizenship by Investment Programmes to the Overseas Territories.

Mark Simmonds: The arrangements for acquiring British Overseas Territories citizenship within the Overseas Territories are governed by the British Nationality Act 1981, and are similar to arrangements for acquiring British citizenship in the UK. While it is open to Territories to facilitate earlier routes to settlement for investors, citizenship can only be acquired by a person who, meets the requirements set out within the Act, including a period of continuous residence in the Territory. This is consistent with this position within the UK. There are no plans to amend the 1981 Act in this respect.
	We encourage the OTs to look at high net worth schemes to attract investors, such as the High Value Migrant scheme or Investor Visas, like those in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands. These schemes provide a route to settlement in that particular Territory, but not a quicker route to citizenship.

Central African Republic

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government held with its EU partners in advance of the recent EU decision to send troops to the Central African Republic.

Mark Simmonds: The UK held a number of discussions with EU partners both bilaterally and within EU fora, ahead of the 20 January EU Foreign Affairs Council, which agreed in principle to an EU operation in the Central African Republic, subject to a formal Council Decision and UNSCR mandate. The operation would provide temporary support, for a period of up to six months, help to achieve a secure environment in the Bangui area, with a view to handing over to the AU. The UK has made clear that UK parliamentary scrutiny procedures would need to be respected as part of the EU decision-making process going forward.

Iran

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of attempts by Iran to circumvent the arms embargo.

Hugh Robertson: We remain deeply concerned by reports, including from the UN Panel of experts supporting UNSCR 1737 Committee, that Iran continues to transfer arms within the Middle East and Africa—including to Yemen, Syria, Gaza, and Kenya - in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. Iran must end such activity immediately.

Iran

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart about financing and arming by Iran of terrorist organisations.

Hugh Robertson: We have serious concerns about the way Iran's support for a number of groups in the Middle East, including Hizballah, Palestinian rejectionist groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas, and Iraqi Shia militia groups directly undermines prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East. We will continue to use our expanding bilateral engagement with Iran to raise issues of concern to the UK.

Iran

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action prevents Iran from manufacturing components for Arak heavy-water facility.

Hugh Robertson: Iran remains obligated to suspend all work on all heavy water related projects under UNSCR 1737. Under the Joint Plan of Action, as a first step measure Iran agreed to freeze progress on the Arak Heavy Water Research Reactor, not to commission it, or transfer fuel or heavy water to the reactor site. Iran also agreed not to produce or test additional fuel or install remaining components. The IAEA verified that Iran had adhered to these requirements in its report on 20 January.

Iran

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action allows Iran to continue manufacturing new centrifuge devices.

Hugh Robertson: Under the Joint Plan of Action, Iran has committed not to install further centrifuges at its main enrichment facility at Natanz. Iran has also agreed that its centrifuge production during the six month duration of the deal will be dedicated to replace damaged machines with centrifuges of the same type.

Iran

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the P5+1 - Iran Joint Plan of Action requires Iran to suspend research and development of (a) ballistic missiles and (b) nuclear-related weaponisation.

Hugh Robertson: UN Security Council Resolution 1929 requires Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and this remains in force under the Joint Plan of Action. Under the Joint Plan of Action Iran has reaffirmed that it will not seek to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the P5+1 - Iran Joint Plan of Action requires Iran to grant International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to all nuclear-related facilities.

Hugh Robertson: Under Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, inspectors already have access to Iran's declared nuclear facilities. But under the Joint Plan of Action, Iran has agreed to enhanced monitoring of its nuclear facilities by the IAEA. This includes additional access for the IAEA to centrifuges assembly workshops, rotor production workshops and storage facilities and uranium mines and mills for the first time since 2006, and daily access for IAEA inspectors to surveillance records at its Natanz and Fordow facilities.

Montserrat

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had about the feasibility of a Citizenship by Investment Programme in Montserrat.

Mark Simmonds: The arrangements for acquiring British Overseas Territories citizenship in Montserrat are governed by the British Nationality Act 1981 and are similar to arrangements for acquiring British citizenship in the UK. In November 2013, the Premier of Montserrat raised with UK Ministers a proposal for an economic citizenship programme as part of efforts to encourage investment in the territory. The Government of Montserrat has been advised that there are no plans to provide a fast track to British nationality in the UK or the Overseas Territories. The UK Government is encouraging the Government of Montserrat to consider offering a fast track to permanent residence status for investors in Montserrat in line with arrangements for high net worth individuals in the UK and in a number of other Overseas Territories.

Montserrat

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of a Citizenship by Investment Programme in Montserrat.

Mark Simmonds: The arrangements for acquiring British Overseas Territories citizenship in Montserrat are governed by the British Nationality Act 1981 and are similar to arrangements for acquiring British citizenship in the UK. In November 2013, the Premier of Montserrat raised with UK Ministers a proposal for an economic citizenship programme as part of efforts to encourage investment in the territory. The Government of Montserrat has been advised that there are no plans to provide a fast track to British nationality in the UK or the Overseas Territories. The UK Government is encouraging the Government of Montserrat to consider offering a fast track to permanent residence status for investors in Montserrat in line with arrangements for high net worth individuals in the UK and in a number of other Overseas Territories. The Government of Montserrat is responsible for Montserrat's immigration policy including criteria for granting permanent residence. It would therefore be for the Government of Montserrat to assess the feasibility of introducing such an investor programme.

Montserrat

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will introduce a pilot Citizenship by Investment Programme in Montserrat.

Mark Simmonds: The arrangements for acquiring British Overseas Territories citizenship in Montserrat are governed by the British Nationality Act 1981 and are similar to arrangements for acquiring British citizenship in the UK. In November 2013, the Premier of Montserrat raised with UK Ministers a proposal for an economic citizenship programme as part of efforts to encourage investment in the territory. The Government of Montserrat has been advised that there are no plans to provide a fast track to British nationality in the UK or the Overseas Territories. The UK Government is encouraging the Government of Montserrat to consider offering a fast track to permanent residence status for investors in Montserrat in line with arrangements for high net worth individuals in the UK and in a number of other Overseas Territories. The Government of Montserrat is responsible for Montserrat's immigration policy including criteria for granting permanent residence. It would therefore be for the Government of Montserrat to consider piloting such an investor programme.

Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of expenditure on his Department's procurement contracts was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) the North East, (f) the North West, (g) Yorkshire and the Humber, (h) the East Midlands, (i) the West Midlands, (j) the East of England, (k)  London, (l) the South East and (m) the South West in the last three years for which figures are available.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to increasing its direct and indirect spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We cannot confirm where in the UK the SMEs are based without incurring disproportionate cost.
	In the years for which data is available, the proportion of direct spend with SMEs in the UK is as follows (UK spend only):
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 April-October 2013 26 
			 April 2012-March 2013 20.5

South Africa

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with his South African counterpart to ensure that the problem of an increase in the number of rhinoceros being killed in South Africa is addressed urgently.

Mark Simmonds: The UK Government regularly engages its South African counterparts on the illegal wildlife trade at senior level. Both UK and South African Ministers reiterated their commitment to combating this harmful trade at the last UK-South Africa bilateral forum, held in Cape Town on 10 September 2013. The South African Government has pledged to address the issue of Rhino poaching as a matter of priority and we look forward to working with them at the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade on 12-13 February 2014.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General how many hours of overtime have been worked by staff of the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The total number of hours of overtime worked by staff of the Crown Prosecution Service CPS) in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Hours 
			 2009 101,000 
			 2010 104,218 
			 2011 84,222 
			 2012 112,562 
			 2013 137,278 
		
	
	The information is based on data extracted from the CPS's central pay database. It summarises hours claimed between January and December in each year. Every effort has been made to ensure that it is complete and accurate but it is feasible that minor inaccuracies in data input affect the totals reported.

RSPCA

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the RSPCA's prosecution policy.

Dominic Grieve: The RSPCA brings its prosecutions as a private prosecutor and I have made no assessment of its prosecution policy.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Finance

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme to be made available to farmers.

George Eustice: The third round of the Rural Development Programme for England's Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme will be available to eligible businesses, including farmers, from 4 February 2014. The application window will be open until 4 April 2014.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many culled-badgers subsequently tested positive for bovine TB.

George Eustice: Testing badger carcases for TB was not undertaken on a routine basis during the pilot cull. High levels of TB were confirmed in badgers in the regions in which the cull areas are located during the Randomised Badger Cull Trial (RBCT). This has been confirmed by other research work carried out by independent scientists.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on his badger cull policy if the independent scientific panel conclude that the two badger cull pilots were ineffective.

George Eustice: We await the Independent Experts Panel's report with interest and will respond to its contents once it is published.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

George Eustice: According to departmental records, DEFRA has transposed a total of 33 EU directives into UK law since 1 January 2010, eight of which were transposed without the need to introduce new legislation.
	We do not hold a central record of all directly applicable EU regulations coming into effect since 2010. Details of all current European legislation are on the Euro-Lex website:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/legis/latest/index.htm

Food: Origin Marking

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on producers in Northern Ireland of changes to EU regulation related to country of origin labelling.

George Eustice: The European Commission has adopted implementing rules on country of origin labelling for fresh meat. The UK has worked to secure provisions in the regulation that ensure businesses give consumers meaningful information, but that are not burdensome for businesses. Food businesses will have to label the member state of rearing and slaughter on pre-packed pork, poultry, sheep and goat meat.
	We successfully pressed the Commission to include an article in the regulation clarifying that businesses may also volunteer additional geographical information. This allows for terms such as ‘British’, ‘Northern Irish’ or ‘from the island of Ireland’.
	These rules will come into force for all EU businesses on 1 April 2015.

Land: Contamination

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 158W, on land: contamination, what assessment he has made of the ability of the Revenue Support Grant to support local authorities in fulfilling their statutory duties under part 2a of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act.

George Eustice: DEFRA has made no formal assessment of the ability of the Revenue Support Grant to support local authorities in fulfilling their statutory duties under part 2A of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. Revenue Support is not ring-fenced and it is up to local authorities to decide where to allocate the money according to their individual priorities.

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from construction companies about delays to the tendering process for the Thames Tideway Tunnel; and what steps he is taking to expedite that process. [R]

Dan Rogerson: To date, we have not received any representations from construction companies. In a large and complex project like the Thames Tideway Tunnel, it is important that we and Thames Water take the appropriate time to ensure that this procurement and the wider context of the delivery mechanism for the project will offer value for money for taxpayers and customers. Thames Water issued the Invitation To Tender for the first of the main construction works contracts on 4 December.

White Fish

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the discard ban on whitefish from 2016 on the economic viability of small inshore vessels with small quota allocations.

George Eustice: Later this year I will be consulting on how to implement the discard ban (landings obligation) and how to support the fishing fleet, notably small scale inshore vessels, through the transition to discard-free fisheries. DEFRA have funded a number of research initiatives to help inform practical steps on implementing the landings obligation for the inshore fleet. These include a discard ban trial and project ‘SESAMI’, which is collecting additional catch and discard data. Results from these research initiatives are expected in April 2014.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department has met representatives of the alcohol industry to discuss the issue of minimum alcohol pricing in the last six months.

Norman Baker: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the drinks industry about alcohol pricing policy.

Norman Baker: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office
	We are shortly introducing a ban on below-cost sales and reserve the right to go further depending on the actions of the industry to take action to reduce alcohol related harms.

Asylum

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum cases were withdrawn by her Department's presenting officers and sent back to her Department's case owners in the years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14 to date.

Mark Harper: The following table provides a breakdown of asylum decisions withdrawn by the Home Office at the appeal stage in the requested time periods:
	
		
			  Volume of asylum decisions withdrawn by the Home Office at the appeal stage 
			 2009-10 206 
			 2010-11 267 
			 2011-12 400 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 445 
			 2013-14 (to December 2014) 254 
		
	
	The data on which our response is based is management information which has been subject to internal quality checks. The information has been provided by and assured by the Home Office Performance Unit but has not been quality assured under national statistics protocols.

Aviation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 452W, on aviation, whether any officials or agencies within his jurisdiction are collecting comprehensive information on private flights arriving into UK airspace each year.

Mark Harper: holding answer 27 January 2014
	The Department for Transport does not collect information on such flights.
	All general aviation flights are required to submit advance information to Border Force, in the form of a General Aviation Report (GAR) prior to arriving in the UK. This information includes: passenger details, flight details, and aircraft details.
	All flights must also submit a flight plan before arriving in the UK to NATS (formerly National Air Traffic Services).

Aviation: Security

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private flights containing passengers who were security-assessed as high priority arrived into (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Stansted airports in 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 27 January 2014
	To ensure the integrity and security of the UK border Her Majesty's Government cannot comment on port specific statistics.

Aviation: Security

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many passengers who arrived into the UK on private planes were monitored by UK Border Force in 2013;
	(2)  what proportion of passengers on private planes monitored by UK Border Force were security-assessed as high priority in 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 27 January 2014
	Border Force does not collate or report general aviation statistics at passenger level. Border Force risk assess 100% of flights notified to us and seek to deploy to all high priority flights.

Borders: Personal Records

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which airlines active in the UK had (a) signed up and (b) not signed up for pre-departure screening checks as part of the e-borders programme in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Mark Harper: All airlines providing advance passenger information (API) to the Border Systems Programme (which includes the former e-Borders programme) are within the scope of the overall scheme. As at March 2013, 139 carriers were providing API to the Border Systems Programme. The Pre-Departure Checks Scheme to prevent individuals who pose a terrorist threat from flying to or from the UK was introduced in July 2012.

British Nationals Abroad: Syria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings she has had with the Metropolitan Police since 1 September 2013 to discuss UK citizens returning from Syria.

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts her Department has awarded in the last 10 years to (a) Professor Christian Dustmann and (b) the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration.

Mark Harper: No contracts have been awarded to the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration by the Home Department or its agencies in the last 10 years.
	Six contracts have been awarded to E-Policy which is a trading name for Professor Christian Dustmann during the last 10 years. Four of these were awarded under the previous Government and of the two awarded under this Government, only one resulted in work being carried out and subsequent payment.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent contact her Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts her Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department does not centrally hold information about any contact with the Curzon Education and the Curzon Institute.
	The Home Department does not hold any contracts with these bodies.

Domestic Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms of reference are of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's inspection of the effectiveness of the police response to domestic violence and abuse across England and Wales.

Norman Baker: holding answer 23 January 2014
	The Home Secretary has commissioned Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to conduct an inspection into how police forces are responding to domestic violence and abuse to ensure the police response is as effective as it can be. HMIC will look at the performance of forces across England and Wales, identify where improvements need to be made and report to the Home Office by April 2014.
	The Home Secretary has asked that HMIC consider the following matters in their inspection:
	the effectiveness of the police approach to domestic violence and abuse, focusing on the outcomes for victims;
	whether risks to victims of domestic violence and abuse are adequately managed;
	identification of lessons learnt from how the police approach domestic violence and abuse; and
	to make any necessary recommendations in relation to these findings when considered alongside current practice.
	This forms the basis of the inspection terms of reference.

Entry Clearances: Iran

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons three Iranian officials holding UK visas were detained for a number of days at Heathrow airport in 2011 or 2012.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 January 2014
	Border Force has conducted initial inquiries but the description provided is too limited to identify the individuals concerned and, therefore, provide the relevant information.

Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons on an unannounced inspection of Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre on 5 to 16 August 2013, what assessment she has made of that report; and whether, and to what timescale, her Department will implement the recommendations in the report.

Mark Harper: The performance by GEO, the contractor running Harmondsworth, has been below the high standard expected.
	In response to the inspection report a Service Improvement Plan, to be published within two months, will address each recommendation and outline what action will be taken. Thereafter, the Home Office has 18 months to effect the improvements.
	The Home Office has already taken a range of actions to address the areas of immediate concern. Contractors have been reminded of the appropriate use of handcuffs and a specific instruction will be issued for the management of detainees who have been hospitalised. The Home Office has also instigated a new process to notify case owners when detainees are moved to hospital to ensure that detention remains appropriate. There is a new health care provider and the Home Office is working closely with them to ensure that a safe and comprehensive service is provided.

Immigration

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration her Department has given to the use of a national identity card system for determining an individual's immigration status.

Mark Harper: holding answer 24 January 2014
	The Government has no plans to introduce an identity card system for British citizens. As part of our commitment to restore personal freedoms and curtail unnecessary intrusion by the state into people's personal lives, we abolished the identity cards scheme in 2010 and destroyed the National Identity Register, which saved the taxpayer £86 million.
	However, the Biometric Residence Permit is issued to non-EEA nationals staying in the UK for more than six months. These provide evidence of the holders' immigration status in the UK.

Immigration Bill: Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions Ministers of her Department have had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the potential effect of clauses in the Immigration Bill on devolved competencies.

Mark Harper: Ministers regularly discuss matters of mutual interest with Ministers in the devolved Administrations. A meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee was chaired by the Prime Minister on 16 October 2013, attended by the First Minister of Scotland. The three principal agenda items at the meeting were the economy and public finances, the UK Government's proposals on migrants' access to public services and major sporting events.
	Since October, the Immigration Minister has exchanged letters with Humza Yousaf MSP, Alex Neill MSP and Roseanna Cunningham MSP.

Immigration Bill: Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons her Department is not seeking a Legislative Consent Resolution of the Scottish Parliament in respect of clauses in the Immigration Bill relating to residential tenancies and health services.

Mark Harper: The clauses in the Immigration Bill on residential tenancies and health services relate to immigration matters that fall within the reserved competence of the Westminster Parliament. A Legislative Consent Motion in respect of these clauses is therefore not required.

Immigration: Iran

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  in which Embassy Iranian officials Mr Reza Garjei, Mr Ali Vojdan, and Mr Reza Alizadeh were issued visas to enter the UK;
	(2)  under what grounds Iranian citizens Mr Reza Garjei, Mr Ali Vojdan, and Mr Reza Alizadeh were detained on entry to the UK.

Mark Harper: The Home Office does not routinely comment on individuals cases.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which sites owned by her Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

James Brokenshire: The Department owns two sites that are currently being disposed of and a further site is being assessed for possible disposal. The requested information is provided in the following table. Once placed on the market, sale at full market value is anticipated for each site.
	
		
			 Site Current class use Expected planning use Planning permission Market value (£ million) 
			 Currently being sold     
			 Bramshill Police College C2 To be confirmed on completion of sale The site is being marketed on basis of a detailed planning statement 120 
			 Former Police Training Centre C2 Housing Offered for sale subject to planning consent being obtained by the purchaser 12.5 
			      
			 Disposal being considered     
			 Site at Bicester Oxon Not yet determined (former defence land) To be determined A report on future uses is being prepared by agents 17.6 
			 1 Book value.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 17 December 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Adeel Farukh.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 21 January 2014.

Minimum Wage Enforcement: Effect on Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues regarding the effect of minimum wage enforcement on levels of immigration.

Mark Harper: I welcome the recent announcement by the Prime Minister to quadruple the penalty on employers for non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage. We are working across Government to strengthen the enforcement response to rogue businesses, including those that use migrant labour to undercut wage levels, and remain committed to reducing immigration.

Road Traffic Offences: Cycling

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the frequency of pedal cyclists ignoring red traffic lights; and what steps she is taking to reduce these offences.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold any data on the number of cyclists ignoring red traffic lights. Cyclists failing to comply with traffic signs or signals is a summary offence, and not a notifiable offence. The Home Office only collects data on notifiable offences.
	The enforcement of cycling offences is an operational matter for the police. Officers can issue verbal warnings, fixed penalty notices or report the road user for formal prosecution. Members of the public are encouraged to give evidence of specific problems and of particularly dangerous behaviour to the police. This will help ensure that the police target their resources effectively.
	In addition to regular enforcement activity, police forces occasionally undertake short, intensive campaigns to raise awareness of cycling law, and the penalties they can impose if the laws are broken. This can help target persistent or localised problems. We support any action taken by the police to deter and reduce the number of cycling offences.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) recorded offences and (b) convictions have occurred for offences under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 37), as amended, in each of the last five years.

Theresa May: holding answer 13 January 2014
	The Home Office does not hold data on the number of offences committed under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. The Act contains several offences, some of which are notifiable and some of which are not. As a result, it is not possible to give an estimate of the number of recorded offences under this Act.
	Data on convictions under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. However, the data held do not identify whether an offence was committed against a child or an adult.
	Therefore data on the regulations mentioned cannot be provided without a special data collection from the courts. As such, it can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Social Networking

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure the enforcement of laws preventing communication or publication of racist, anti-Semitic and threatening behaviour through Twitter; what steps the Government can take to ensure the removal of such material; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime and we have been clear that it is unacceptable for anyone to use the internet as a means to harass, intimidate, or threaten anyone in an illegal manner.
	Guidance on prosecuting cases involving social media communications was issued by the Director for Public Prosecutions last June, setting out clear guidelines for cases involving hate crime. These guidelines should also be used by the police when investigating specific offences.
	We continue to work across Government with leading social media providers and have been clear that we expect them to respond robustly to incidents of abusive behaviour on their networks. This includes having easy to use reporting tools, robust processes in place to respond promptly when abuse is reported and taking action, as appropriate, to suspend or terminate the accounts of those who do not comply with the acceptable use policies in place.

Translation Services

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on translation services in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office financial system does not record translation services separately and therefore this information is not available.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations: Hinduism

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to consult with a broad spectrum of Hindu community representatives in relation to caste legislation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what consultations his Department has carried out to engage with the Hindu community in relation to caste legislation; on what dates such consultations were carried out; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: The responsibility for consulting Hindu community representatives in relation to caste legislation sits with the Government Equalities Office which falls under the remit of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Full details of the programme and timetable for introducing caste discrimination legislation can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/caste-discrimination-legislation-timetable
	The Government Equalities Office will be issuing a public consultation on the prospective caste legislation in spring 2014 which all Hindu community representatives are encouraged to participate in.

Councillors

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has he issued to local councils on naming councillors who are barred from voting in council meetings due to failing to pay their council tax.

Brandon Lewis: Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 makes it an offence for a councillor in council tax arrears (with at least two months unpaid bills) to vote at a meeting of the council, a committee or of the council's executive where financial matters relating to council tax are being considered. It is also an offence if any such councillor present, who is aware of the arrears, fails to disclose that they are in arrears of council tax.
	I am aware that, in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, it is common for local authorities to refuse to name individual councillors in council tax arrears, citing ‘data protection’. While noting that individual tax affairs are a personal matter, Ministers believe that there is a strong public interest in the names of councillors who are barred from voting being accessible to the wider public.
	If an individual councillor is unable to represent their electorate and undertake their duties because of this statutory prohibition, then it is reasonable that this fact is open to legitimate public scrutiny, especially given the legal duty to declare it at a meeting at which they are present, and given this relates to their public life not their private life.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Brandon Lewis: The Recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive came into force on 19 May 2010, with a transposition date of 9 January 2013.
	DCLG responsibility also includes the EU Construction Products Regulation which was adopted in March 2011 and came fully into force in July 2013.
	DCLG is the Managing Authority for European Regional development Fund programmes in England and six directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in this particular area of the Department's responsibility since 2010, covering EU budgetary periods 2007-13 and 2014-20.
	It is the Department's policy under this Government to avoid and reverse the gold-plating of EU directives by the Labour Government; for example, we have done this on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive by scaling back the rules on Energy Performance Certificates to the minimum requirements of the directive and scrapping Home Information Packs.
	We seek to avoid the unnecessary or excessive imposition of new regulation when new directives are proposed in Brussels, as, for example, we have been seeking to do during the re-cast of the EU directive on Environmental Impact Assessments.
	We also wish to renegotiate powers back to the United Kingdom where appropriate; as a small but pertinent example, my Department has successfully removed the legal requirement in the European Regional Development Fund Regulations (introduced in 2006 under the Labour Government) to fly the EU flag outside our building for one week a year after Europe Day.

Local Government

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable remote attendance at meetings of English local authorities under conditions similar to those provided in section 4 provided in the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011.

Brandon Lewis: I note that this ill-conceived idea to allow councillors to vote from the pub or while watching television was endorsed by Labour Ministers in Whitehall (DCLG, ‘The Government Response to the Councillors Commission’, July 2008, p. 16). The measure was never brought to Parliament, given the last Administration dropped their plans for a Community Empowerment Bill.
	Ministers in this Government do not support this measure and have no plans to bring forward similar legislation to that implemented by Labour Welsh Ministers. Such a move would risk weakening the clear local accountability and transparency of conducting council business in open public meetings.
	Of course, we need to move with changing times and new technologies. So the Local Audit and Accountability Bill will strengthen the ability of the press and public to report council meetings using digital and social media—bringing the public closer to their elected representatives, rather than the Labour approach of making elected representatives more distant and unaccountable.

Local Government Finance: Birmingham

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will direct the Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council to provide copies of (a) the management reports in respect of discretionary housing payments and the under-occupancy penalty and (b) the background figures in respect of that council's reduction in funding for council tax support which have previously been requested by the hon. member for Birmingham, Yardley.

Brandon Lewis: The Secretary of State does not have a general power of direction in this respect. If the hon. Member wishes to obtain the information he mentions, he should pursue the matter with the local authority, making, if he considers it appropriate, a request for the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

New Towns

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the prospectus on new towns and garden cities.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 23 January 2014
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W, and to him of 20 January 2013, Official Report, column 18, which clearly set out the Government's position on supporting locally led development.

New Towns

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his contribution of 20 January 2014, Official Report, columns 18-19, 
	(1)  whether his Department has (a) received any expression of interest and (b) had any discussions with council officers or councillors about Gerrards Cross being considered as a site for the development of a new town or garden city;
	(2)  whether his Department has (a) received any expression of interest and (b) had any discussions with council officers or councillors about Yalding being considered as a site for the development of a new town or garden city.

Kris Hopkins: The Department's position on supporting locally led development is set out in the answer I provided on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W, and in the written statement by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), of 24 January 2014, Official Report, columns 15-16WS.
	The Department has had no discussions regarding the potential siting of a new town or garden city at either Gerrards Cross or Yalding.

New Towns

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in his Department are currently working on matters relating to new towns and garden cities.

Kris Hopkins: The Government's policy is to support locally-led, large scale development, as outlined in the answer of 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W.
	Within DCLG, five full-time equivalent posts are presently deployed specifically to that locally-led programme, including oversight of the Department's Local Infrastructure Fund.

New Towns

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what work his Department has contributed to the drafting of a report or prospectus on garden cities since May 2010.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W, and the answer given by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), on 20 January 2014, Official Report, column 18, and his written statement of 24 January 2014, Official Report, columns 15-16WS, which clearly set out the Government's position on supporting locally led development.

Non-domestic Rates

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the holdback per dwelling in pounds from the Business Rate Safety Net holdback 2014-15 is in each (a) local authority in England and (b) region.

Brandon Lewis: The holdback for the business rates safety net is removed at national level prior to distribution of Revenue Support Grant. There is therefore no local authority level figure for holdback per dwelling.

Planning: Urban Areas

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what work No 10. Downing Street has contributed to the drafting of a report or prospectus on garden cities since May 2010;
	(2)  what work the Deputy Prime Minister's Office has contributed to the drafting of a report or prospectus on garden cities since May 2010;
	(3)  what work the Cabinet Office has contributed to the drafting of a report or prospectus on garden cities since May 2010.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W, and the answer given by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), on 20 January 2014, Official Report, column 18, which clearly set out the Government's position on supporting locally led development.
	Since May 2010, No. 10, the Cabinet Office and the office of the Deputy Prime Minster have worked with DCLG on a range of policies to support-housing supply, including the locally led large sites programme, announced in September 2012 and extended at autumn statement 2013.

Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what value of his Department's procurement was conducted using e-procurement tools in each of the last three financial years.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 16 January 2014
	As shown from our procurement systems, the following table sets out the number of procurements that were conducted using e-procurement tools together with the number of contracts awarded.
	
		
			 Number 
			 Financial year Procurement conducted using e-procurement tools Contracts awarded 
			 2010-11 1,285 1,282 
			 2011-12 932 928 
			 2012-13 659 657 
			 April to December 2013 451 450 
		
	
	For low value contracts with a total amount up to a maximum of £20,000 from July 2013, these were procured through the Government e-Marketplace and we have interpreted contracts in this instance as purchase orders raised for goods or services.

Public Expenditure

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 616W, on public expenditure, if he will place in the Library the exchange of correspondence between his Department and HM Treasury with regard to his Department's unauthorised overdraft and fines imposed by HM Treasury.

Brandon Lewis: As was the practice under previous Administrations, we do not publish internal correspondence between Whitehall Departments.
	Notwithstanding, I refer the hon. Member to my Department's letter to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee of 2 September 2013, which addresses this issue. This can be found at:
	www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/communities-and-local-government-committee/publications

William Hill

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish a list of all paper and electronic correspondence between (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department and Andrew Lyman, head of Public Affairs at William Hill plc, in the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 22 January 2014
	In November 2011, the Department received a letter requesting a meeting on betting shops. The Department replied politely declining a meeting. In September 2012, the Department received a submission to the formal consultation on change of use planning; information about that consultation and the Government's formal response can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reusing-existing-buildings-permitted-development-rights

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: In the last three years a total of 42 people aged 15 to 24 have undertaken work experience in the Department. This total is made up of 25 work experience and 17 unpaid internships.
	
		
			 Breakdown of work experience in the last three years by age group 
			  Number of people 16 years old and under Number of people over 16 years old 
			 2011 3 14 
			 2012 1 8 
			 2013 2 14 
		
	
	The Government is committed to improving opportunities for young people to obtain sustained employment as part of the Get Britain Working agenda. This will improve their career prospects and encourage social mobility and economic growth.
	Opportunities to undertake unpaid work experience are provided by individual Government Departments as a means of providing an introduction to the civil service, and a way of helping individuals to make longer term career decisions. Work experience is offered as an opportunity to undertake work which will provide meaningful and developmental experience, and will give the individual an insight into the work of a particular Department or unit.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: East of England

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) permanent and (b) bank staff are employed in each accident and emergency department in each NHS hospital in the East of England.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested. Data is not collected by hospital department, and information is not collected on the number of non-medical staff (such as nurses and support staff) or bank staff who work in an accident and emergency setting. The following table provides data for national health service acute trusts that have permanent hospital and community health service (HCHS) doctors recorded in the accident and emergency specialty.
	
		
			 Organisation name All HCHS staff 
			 East of England-total for specified organisations 496 
			   
			 Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 29 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 21 
			 Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 38 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust 18 
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 18 
			 Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 31 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 30 
			 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 19 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 48 
			 West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 21 
		
	
	
		
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 45 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 38 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 23 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 13 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 37 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 27 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 40 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English national health service organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. 2. October 2013 is the latest data available. 3. '-' Denotes zero. 4. Accident and emergency (A&E) Workforce. The data shown here are for NHS HCHS doctors at the specified organisations recorded as having a specialty of 'emergency medicine'. While this should capture all those doctors trained in emergency medicine, it does not necessarily show where they work. Doctors may also be coded by specialty based on the department where they work. 'Emergency medicine' is likely therefore to capture all A&E doctors plus some that are employed in Emergency Admission Units, although these are expected to be few. A doctor does not need to be trained in emergency medicine to be working in A&E. For example doctors trained in general medicine could be working in A&E and may still be recorded under the specialty they trained in, and therefore not included in the 'emergency medicine' doctors shown here. 'Emergency medicine' is the General Medical Council (Statutory Instrument approved) Main Specialty. It is also currently known as Accident and Emergency within Workforce Data Standards. NHS HCHS workforce excludes general practitioners, GP practice staff and high street dentists. 5. From 21 July 2010 the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has published experimental, provisional monthly NHS workforce data (the 'experimental' tag was removed from 24 April 2012). As expected with provisional data, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. 6. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census. It only includes those staff on the electronic staff record (ie it does not include primary care staff or bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). 7. This information is available online for September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/provisionalmonthlyhchsworkforce 8. Data quality-The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data, but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: HSCIC provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics.

Botulinum Toxin

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make as assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of current regulation of the use of botulinum toxin; and whether he plans to introduce a minimum age limit for the use of botox treatment for cosmetic purposes.

Norman Lamb: Botulinum toxin products for injection have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for specific medicinal uses. As injectables, they are classed as prescription only medicines. The MHRA does not regulate cosmetics and has not licensed these products for general cosmetic procedures.
	Under medicines legislation the general rule is that prescription only medicines can only be prescribed by appropriate practitioners. An “appropriate practitioner” includes a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist independent prescriber. Prescribing medicines for use outside a product's licensed indications is not covered by medicines legislation and is done under the prescriber's personal responsibility.
	The law requires that if not self-administered, injectable medicines must be administered by an appropriate practitioner or a person acting in accordance with the directions of an appropriate practitioner.
	A response to a review of the regulation of cosmetics by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh is due to be laid before the House shortly. Introduction of a minimum age limit for the use of botulinum toxins (including Botox) for cosmetic purposes was not one of the recommendations of the Keogh Review and there are no plans at this time to pursue such a policy.

Breast Cancer

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the efficacy and quality of care of patients with breast cancer in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: On 30 August 2013, NHS England published the national report of the 2013 Cancer Patient Experience Survey. The survey provides an in valuable insight into cancer patients' experience of care, treatment and support. The survey report includes the responses of over 68,000 patients, 13,916 of which had breast cancer. Nationally, patients with breast cancer reported the most positive experience of care.
	Trust levels survey reports show that Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust is 67th out of 155 trusts providing cancer care in England (with 1 being the best). Specifically on breast cancer, Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS Trust performs rather better than the national scores for patients with breast cancer. The Trust scores particularly well on questions relating to cancer research; information about support groups; information on free prescriptions; and giving information on outcomes of operations.
	Trust level reports are helping to drive improvement locally, enabling commissioners to directly challenge and incentivise. improvements and providers to benchmark their performance against one another. NHS England is also working with high performing Trusts in the survey to identify best practice that can be shared and developed into toolkits and will then work with trusts with poorer scores to review how they use insights gained from the survey to develop service improvement plans.
	Both national and “trust level reports are available on the website of the survey provider, Quality Health, at the following links:
	National Report:
	www.quality-health.co.uk/resources/surveys/national-cancer-experience-survey/2013-national-cancer-patient-exerience-survey/2013-national-cancer-patient-experience-survey-reports/301-2013-national-cancer-patient-experience-survey-programme-national-report/file
	Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust report:
	www.quality-health.co.uk/resources/surveys/national-cancer-experience-survey/2013-national-cancer-patient-exerience-survey/2013-national-cancer-patient-experience-survey-reports/2013-east-of-england-strategic-health-authority/20-peterborough-and-stamford-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/file

East of England: Hospitals

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) permanent and (b) bank staff are employed in each NHS hospital in the East of England.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows figures for all permanent national health service hospital and community health service (HCHS) staff (medical and non-medical) in NHS acute trusts in the health education East of England region. Information about the number of bank staff is not collected.
	
		
			 Organisation name All HCHS staff 
			 East of England—total for specified organisations 62,681 
			   
			 Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 4,118 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 2,137 
			 Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3,249 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust 2,509 
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 4,114 
			 Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 3,729 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1,662 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 3,388 
			 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2,484 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 3,146 
			 West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 2,586 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 7,692 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 5,929 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 3,514 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 1,363 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 2,563 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 3,641 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 4,857 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. 2. The latest data available are for October 2013. 3. ‘—’ denotes zero. 4. From 21 July 2010 the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has published experimental, provisional monthly NHS work force data (the ‘experimental’ tag was removed from 24 April 2012). As expected with provisional data, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. 5. The monthly work force data are not directly comparable with the annual work force census. They only include those staff on the electronic staff record (i.e. they do not include primary care staff or bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). 6. This information is available online for September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/provisionalmonthlyhchsworkforce 7. Data quality—The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data, but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: HSCIC provisional NHS HCHS monthly work force statistics

Electronic Cigarettes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in helping people to stop smoking.

Jane Ellison: The consistent evidence from a variety of sources is that most electronic cigarettes users use them to stop smoking or as partial replacement to reduce the harm associated with smoking. There is some evidence from surveys that electronic cigarettes users are having success in achieving their goals, with many current electronic cigarette users being ex-smokers.
	Very few trials have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes. Those that have been conducted conclude that electronic cigarettes can alleviate desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms. The limited evidence suggests electronic cigarette may aid smoking cessation and that these products are about as effective as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as gums and patches, in supporting quit attempts. Electronic cigarettes are being used in approximately 20% of quit attempts, which is similar to the use of NRT.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published an assessment of the available data on the efficacy of Nicotine Containing Products in helping people cut down and quit. It is on the MHRA website at:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/comms-ic/documents/websiteresources/con286839.pdf
	Smoking is the greatest single cause of avoidable ill-health and death, accounting for 80,000 deaths each year in England alone. Reducing the public health impact of smoking remains a priority for the Department.

Influenza: Vaccination

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on making a proportion of winter pressures funding to urgent care and other settings within trusts dependent on 75 per cent of NHS staff voluntarily signing up for influenza vaccinations in the 2013-14 winter season; and what the evidential basis is for linking the withdrawal of funding for patients' care to the rate of staff receiving voluntarily vaccinations.

Jane Ellison: A total of £400 million additional funding was allocated to alleviate winter pressures for 2013-14. In September 2013, the Government announced that £250 million would be provided to the 53 trusts that were considered most at risk of poor performance over winter. An additional £150 million, from within the national health service existing budget, was provided to the remaining health economies to ease winter pressures on their accident and emergency (A and E) departments. No funding for patient care was withdrawn for this year on the basis of healthcare worker vaccination rates. Performance against this target will be reviewed at the end of winter 2013-14.
	Flu is one of the factors known to contribute to winter pressures and vaccination of healthcare workers has been shown to significantly reduce rates of flu-like illness, hospitalisation and mortality in older people in healthcare settings. Therefore those trusts most at risk were encouraged to reach 75% healthcare worker flu vaccination rates in 2013-14, consistent with existing target flu vaccination rates in at-risk groups.

Institute of Grocery Distribution

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the (a) dates, (b) agendas and (c) minutes of any meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with representatives of the Institute for Grocery Distribution since May 2010.

Jane Ellison: Records show six official level meetings specifically with the Institute for Grocery Distribution (IGD) since May 2010. These were held on:
	18 July 2012
	15 February 2012
	20 March 2012
	19 December 2011
	15 December 2011
	13 December 2011
	These meetings were either introductory meetings or to seek information and research held by the IGD to aid the Department in its work on diet and nutrition, these were informal meetings and no notes were taken.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what protections he plans to put in place to ensure that the information from patients' records gathered and used by the Health and Social Care Information Centre remains anonymised and that patients' identities are protected and kept secure.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is committed and legally bound to the very highest standards of privacy, security and confidentiality to ensure that confidential information is protected at all times. There are very strict rules about what information the Health and Social Care Information Centre can release to the national health service and outside organisations.
	The HSCIC makes data available in three formats: personal confidential data, pseudonymous data, and anonymous data. Each format is protected by a different suite of privacy safeguards as described in the Information Commissioner's ‘Code of Practice on Anonymisation’. No personal confidential data are ever disclosed without a legal basis for doing so, such as the patient's explicit consent.

Mesothelioma: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on promoting a UK-wide strategy for tackling mesothelioma.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no discussions with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on promoting a United Kingdom-wide strategy for tackling mesothelioma.

NHS

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) effect of primary care charging and (b) proposed new integrated system of NHS registration on (i) the devolved NHS systems and (ii) residents from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland visiting or living in England.

Jane Ellison: If charges for some primary care services in England are introduced to visitors to the United Kingdom, those services will continue to be free of charge to people who are ordinarily resident in the UK. Therefore, residents of the devolved administrations will continue to be treated on the same basis as an English resident if they access primary care services in England.
	However, introducing charging for visitors may influence behaviour (near the borders if visitors from overseas in England choose to travel to the other countries to access primary care services that they would have to pay for in England.
	A new-system of registering with the national health service in England is unlikely to affect the healthcare systems in the devolved administrations but it may mean that residents from the devolved administrations who access NHS care in England are asked more often to demonstrate that they are ordinarily resident in the UK, or otherwise (entitled to free NHS care in England.

NHS: Crime Prevention

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has designated NHS Protect or any individual in that organisation to grant authorisation for the carrying out of directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Daniel Poulter: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Directed Surveillance and Covert Human Intelligence Sources) Order 2010 (SI 2010/521) empowers NHS Protect to authorise directed surveillance under s.28(3)(b) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The prescribed office for the authorisation of such surveillance is a senior manager (not below the grade of Agenda for Change pay band 8b).

Obesity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce obesity levels; and if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Education and representatives of the food manufacturing industry the development of a joint strategy to achieve that end.

Jane Ellison: We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health England, NHS England, other Government Departments including the Department for Education and Department for Transport, and industry through the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Health Checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs and School Sports Funding.
	I met with the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss), and the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (George Eustice), on 8 January to discuss school food and local sourcing rules. I continue to have discussions with the food manufacturing industry about action to help reduce obesity levels through the Public Health Responsibility Deal.

Prisoners: Palliative Care

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on end-of-life care for older prisoners;
	(2)  what measures are in place to ensure a consistent approach to end-of-life care in prisons.

Norman Lamb: Prisoners are entitled to receive decent and humane treatment with access to health services appropriate to their need at all times, including the end of life. As with people in the community, prisoners must be able to make choices about how they are cared for and where they wish to die.
	Successfully managing end of life care in prison requires officers, governors, health care staff, voluntary organisations and prisoners' families to work together to achieve the best outcomes for the individual. In 2011, the Department and the National Health Service National End of Life Care Programme published ‘The route to success In end of life care—achieving quality in prisons and for prisoners’, to help support prison and health and social care professionals deliver a consistent approach to end of life care in prisons. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Rehabilitation Centres

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what licences are required to run a drug rehabilitation centre;
	(2)  what powers and responsibilities local authorities have in managing the number and standard of drug rehab centres.

Jane Ellison: The commissioning of services to treat dependence on drugs and alcohol is the responsibility of local authorities who ensure that services are appropriate to local need.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates, inspects and reviews all residential treatment facilities in England. All such services have to be registered with the CQC and under the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act (2008). Providers must show that they are meeting essential standards of quality and safety in all of the regulated activities that they provide. If a provider is not registered with the CQC, they cannot legally provide the service.
	New residential treatment facilities will generally require planning permission from the local authority (exceptions are changes from existing residential facilities). In determining the appropriateness of the development, local authorities will take into account all material considerations, which would include the impact of proposals on the local amenity.
	Treatment centres are often housed in houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs are large houses converted into multiple-roomed accommodation, shared by five or more people and specially designed hostels). Typically, these 'halfway houses' do not offer drug treatment on site (though clients would be able to access community or private treatment off site). This means that HMOs fall out with the remit of local treatment commissioners, but are subject to local authority planning and other regulations.

Rehabilitation Centres

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers and responsibilities local authorities have in managing the number and standard of half-way houses.

Jane Ellison: This is a matter for the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Tobacco: Scotland

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the effect to date of legislation in Scotland outlawing proxy purchasing of tobacco products.

Jane Ellison: We are aware that the Scottish Government introduced a new offence of the proxy purchase of tobacco in April 2011 as part of a wider package of tobacco control measures contained within the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010. A study of the effectiveness of this package of measures, including the proxy purchase offence, is currently being conducted by the University of Stirling. This long-term study is due for completion in 2017.
	Ministers in England want to ensure that children are protected from the dangers of smoking-we know 41% of current smokers aged 15 say that a usual source of cigarettes is to buy them from ‘other people’. That is why this Government is bringing forward an amendment to the Children and Families Bill to create a new offence of the proxy purchase of tobacco products. This corrects my previous answer of 27 January 2014, Official Report, columns 441-42W.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Aerospace Industry

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he will take to safeguard British jobs and investment in the UK by working towards fair conditions in the global aerospace market.

Michael Fallon: We continue to work with the European Commission and the World Trade Organisation to ensure that financing from national governments to their aerospace industries does not create illegal subsidies and that the UK aerospace sector can continue to grow and compete in market conditions that are fair.

Apprentices

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices his Department employed in each of the last three years.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills currently employs 54 apprentices. The apprentices were recruited as follows:
	2011: 0
	2012: 24
	2013: 30.

Boeing

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his US counterpart about the $8.7 billion subsidy awarded to Boeing by Washington State in November 2013.

Michael Fallon: These measures, announced by Washington State in November 2013, were not within the scope of the original claim on financing for civil aircraft programmes currently being pursued within the WTO. This case led in 2012 to a WTO panel, which was formed after the EU made a complaint, finding that the US Government (Federal and State) had provided unlawful subsidies to Boeing. The US responded confirming they had amended their measures which the EU appealed. The WTO compliance panel is now reviewing whether the US Government has adequately amended or stopped its financial support to Boeing and complied with its findings.
	With regards to the measures that the hon. Member refers to in this question, Boeing has advised that they will not be the sole beneficiary of the incentive package. Their understanding is the $8.7 billion is the estimated value, over a 16 year period, in the reduction of taxes that would be paid by the commercial aerospace industry who are located in the State of Washington.
	It is Boeing's understanding that the State has structured its incentive package to fully comply with the WTO ruling. The European Commission will need to consider whether they believe this to be the case or attempt to ensure the WTO compliance panel expressly recognises this support as an extension to the subsidies that were found illegal and whether they can be addressed within the scope of the current proceedings. The European Commission is aware and is considering how to proceed.
	Meanwhile, the EU awaits the conclusion from the WTO in a parallel case against them (UK, France, Germany and Spain member states) in the complaint raised by the US, regarding financial support provided to Airbus. Both cases have been going on for 10 years and likely to continue for some time yet.

Boeing

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his European counterparts about the implications for employment and job creation of the $8.7 billion subsidy awarded to Boeing by Washington State in November 2013.

Michael Fallon: These measures, announced by Washington State in November 2013, were not within the scope of the original claim on financing for civil aircraft programmes currently being pursued within the WTO. This case led in 2012 to a WTO panel, which was formed after the EU made a complaint, finding that the US Government (Federal and State) had provided unlawful subsidies to Boeing. The US responded confirming they had amended their measures which the EU appealed. The WTO compliance panel is now reviewing whether the US Government has adequately amended or stopped its financial support to Boeing and complied with its findings.
	With regards to the measures that Mark Tami MP refers to it Boeing has advised that they will not be the sole beneficiary this question, of the incentive package. Their understanding is the $8.7 billion is the estimated value, over a 16 year period, in the reduction of taxes that would be paid by the commercial aerospace industry who are located in the State of Washington.
	It is Boeing's understanding that the State has structured is incentive package to fully comply with the WTO ruling. The European Commission will need to consider whether they believe this to be the case or attempt to ensure the WTO compliance panel expressly recognises this support as an extension to the subsidies that were found illegal and whether they can be addressed within the scope of the current proceedings. The European Commission is aware and is considering how to proceed.
	Meanwhile, the EU awaits the conclusion from the WTO in a parallel case against them (UK, France, Germany and Spain member states) in the complaint raised by the US, regarding financial support provided to Airbus. Both cases have been going on for ten years and likely to continue for some time yet.

Business: West Midlands

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to assist the development of small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

Matthew Hancock: Small businesses are vital to the economy and this Government is supporting them in many ways.
	Of course, economic stability, lower taxes, deregulation, and a culture of enterprise are vital to business growth.
	www.gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the ‘Finance Finder’, a searchable database of publicly-backed sources of finance.
	The BIS guide ‘SME access to finance schemes: measures to support small and medium-sized enterprise growth’ is available on the same website by searching for the title and provides details on the main forms of public support available to businesses. The website:
	www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
	also provides support and advice for businesses trying to grow as well as for entrepreneurs starting out.
	In addition to online support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs.
	For businesses ready to go further there is ‘GrowthAccelerator’—a £200 million programme for up to 26,000 high growth potential small and medium-sized enterprises, providing them with expertise and networks to achieve sustainable growth.
	Finally, on 7 December 2013 the Government published ‘Small Business: GREAT Ambition’ which sets out the Government's commitment to supporting small businesses It responds to feedback from small businesses about how Government can help at different points in their growth journey by making it easier to:
	Finance business growth by creating the right banking and investment environment and the most supportive tax regime in the world;
	Hire people by making employment processes more straightforward and promoting a more skilled work force;
	Develop new ideas and products by helping businesses get access to the expertise, equipment and funding they need to turn great ideas into reality;
	Expand into new markets by removing barriers to certain sectors and providing advice and support for businesses trying to export;
	Get the right support at the right time by making support schemes easier to find and more relevant; and
	Get on with doing business by making sure regulation and the way it is enforced is proportionate and pro-growth.

Companies: Registration

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what information will appear on the proposed public register of company ownership;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure transparency in identifying beneficial owners as part of the proposed public register of company ownership.

Jennifer Willott: Our Transparency and Trust discussion paper sought views on a range of questions relating to implementation of the central registry of company beneficial ownership information, including how beneficial owners would be identified and what information will be available on the register. We are carefully considering the responses received and will publish a formal Government response shortly. It remains our intention to legislate as soon as parliamentary time permits.

Company Accounts

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to page 10 of the Coalition Agreement, what recent progress he has made on the commitment to (a) reinstate an Operating and Financial Review to ensure that directors' social and environmental duties have to be covered in company reporting and (b) investigate further ways of improving corporate accountability and transparency; and if he will make it his policy to support the inclusion of large, non-listed companies in the EU's proposal to amend the accounting directives with regard to disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by large companies.

Jennifer Willott: In October 2013 Parliament adopted new regulations requiring companies to report on environmental, employee, social, community and human rights issues, where relevant to an understanding of the business. This fulfils the commitment made in the coalition agreement.
	In addition, we have introduced reforms to executive pay. We are also working to increase transparency and trust in UK companies, notably through the introduction of a public register of companies' beneficial ownership.
	With respect to the EU proposal to amend the accounting directives with regard to disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by large companies, I am unwilling to support the inclusion of larger non-listed companies at this time. This is in line with the UK narrative reporting framework, which primarily applies to listed and not private companies.

Employee Benefit Trusts

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the number of firms currently using employee shareholder status.

Jennifer Willott: The employee shareholder employment status came into force on 1 September 2013.
	Companies are not required to register or apply to Government to use it and no assessment of levels of take up can be made yet.
	However, since 1 September 2013, the online detailed guidance was viewed nearly 15,000 times, with people spending, on average, over seven minutes on the pages. This clearly shows a level of interest in the scheme.

Employment Agencies Act 1973

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by his Department and its agencies whose duties include the (a) investigation and (b) enforcement of criminal penalties of the Employment Agencies Act 1973;
	(2)  how many full time equivalent staff are currently working in the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate; and at which premises those staff are based.

David Willetts: The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) enforce the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (both as amended). Two full-time inspectors currently work in the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and are based at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills premises at 1 Victoria street, London. They are supported by one administrative officer.
	In cases where there is prolonged and wilful non-compliance with the recruitment sector legislation, EAS can consider prosecution in the magistrates court or the Crown court. In such cases EAS inspectors are supported by the Department's legal team. The level of support provided is dependent on the complexity of the case.
	EAS can also work with the Department's legal team and the Treasury Solicitor's Department to take action to prohibit an individual from running an employment agency for up to 10 years. Again the resource given to support EAS is dependent on the case.
	Employment agencies must also comply with national minimum wage (NMW) legislation which is enforced by HM Revenue and Customs] On 4 November 2013 nine inspectors moved from the EAS to HM Revenue and Customs' NMW team to focus mainly on enforcing non-payment of NMW in the recruitment sector.
	There are also health and safety protections in place for all workers, which are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive.

Labour Turnover

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce staff turnover in his Department.

Jennifer Willott: Staff turnover lies within the levels expected in the Department's work force plan. It is at the level needed to ensure the department cap recruit the skills it needs to deliver.

Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to restrict the availability of class 3a and 3b laser pens.

Jennifer Willott: I have no plans to further restrict the availability of class 3a and 3b laser pens.

Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what checks are in place for people purchasing class 3a and 3b laser pens.

Jennifer Willott: Laser pens are covered by the safety standard “BS EN 60825-1:1994 Safety of Laser Products”, which specifies those laser pointers to be used by professionals or consumers. Any market surveillance on the availability of class 3a and 3b laser pens being purchased by consumers is the responsibility of Local Authority Trading Standards Services.

Minerals: Imports

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government has taken to reduce the UK's dependence on foreign extracted minerals.

Michael Fallon: In March 2012, BIS and DEFRA jointly published the Government's Resource Security Action Plan. This document was developed in response to business concerns about the continued availability of, and access to, critical raw materials including extracted minerals.
	A key action point was the creation of the Circular Economy Task Force led by the Green Alliance to help inform Government thinking on resource security. Their first year report, Resource resilient UK, shows how to address constraints in supply of critical materials and secure resource supplies for the UK.
	The action plan and report may be seen at these links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resource-security-action-plan-making-the-most-of-valuable-materials
	http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/grea1.aspx?id=6571

Parental Leave

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) maternal employment and (b) the gender pay gap of the introduction of the new shared parental leave plans.

Jennifer Willott: Data from the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey 2009/10 show that 77% of mothers who had worked before the birth returned to work when the child was aged 12 to 18 months (76% in 2006).
	86% of those who returned to work returned to the same job with the same employer. Of those who returned to a different job, the most commonly cited reasons for changing jobs after maternity leave were wanting to work hours that suited their needs (51% in 2006 and 43% in 2008) and wanting to work part-time (33% in 2006 and 39% in 2008).
	The aims of the shared parental leave policy are to:
	Give working parents more choice in the way that they share child care responsibility during the first year of a child's life by increasing the share of leave fathers can take, thus enabling both parents to retain a strong link with the labour market;
	Encourage more fathers to play a greater caring role pre-birth and in the first year); and
	Increase flexibility for employers and employees to reach agreement on how best to balance work and domestic needs.
	Parents choosing to share leave more equitably will have an indirect impact on maternal employment and the gender pay gap but there has been no assessment of the exact effect that the new shared parental leave plans will have on maternal employment and the gender pay gap.
	We intend to introduce shared parental leave and pay for parents of babies due on or after the 5 April 2015. The Government has committed to review the effectiveness of these changes and the take-up of leave by fathers as soon as survey evidence becomes available.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) supports the living wage and encourages businesses to pay it when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs.
	Our primary policy for supporting the low paid is the national minimum wage which is carefully set at a level that maximises wages without damaging employment prospects. In addition, in order to raise living standards we are focused on increasing employment and cutting taxes by raising the personal allowance to £10,000 from April 2014 and will have taken 2.7 million people out of income tax altogether by 2014-15.
	There are no direct BIS employees paid less than the living wage, either nationally or in London.
	The Total Facilities Management (TFM) contract is with EC Harris who sub-contract operational delivery to Balfour Beatty Workplace (BBW). This operational delivery of FM services utilises a dedicated team of nearly 400 employees. As of November 2013 there were 103 employees working for less than the London living wage within London and the South East and 239 employees working for less than the national living wage across the national estate. BaxterStorey, who manage BIS catering, do not pay the London living wage (LLW) to those working within the BIS estate.
	On the basis of fairness and current affordability, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has instructed the Department to raise the wages of the lowest paid contracted staff working at BIS premises across the UK. We hope to report progress with implementing this by spring 2014. This is part of BIS' overall policy to try to increase living standards for its lowest paid staff.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's Executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 23 January 2014
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on the 22 January 2014, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office is an Executive Agency and Trading Fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It does not have any employees or contracted workers being paid less than the living wage.
	Letter from Sarah Glasspool, dated 23 January 2014
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 22 January 2014, asking the BIS Secretary of State (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	Except for one Apprentice, representing 1.2% of staff employed, NMO does not have any direct employees or contractors paid less that the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	Letter from Tim Moss, dated 23 January 2014
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 22 January 2014, UIN 184437 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	None of Companies House's staff are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	Letter from David Parker, dated 23 January 2014
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (Hi) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	The UK Space Agency was formed on 1st April 2011. There are (a) no staff, and (b) no proportion of staff employed by (ii) the UK Space Agency or (iii) contractors of the UK Space Agency who are paid less that the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	Letter from Vanessa Lawrence, dated 23 January 2014
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, “(a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage”.
	Ordnance Survey has no employees, either staff members or contractors, who are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	Should you have any further questions, please let me know.
	I hope this information is helpful.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 24 January 2014
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 22 January 2014, UIN 184437 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	There are currently 3 employees at the Met Office on temporary placements who are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage, which represents 0.15 per cent of the workforce. Paid placement opportunities at the Met Office are generally offered to interns who have just completed the first year of A' levels, current undergraduates or those who have completed their studies.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from Barbara Spicer, dated 23 January 2014
	Thank you for your question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. (184437)
	Please be advised that based on our January 2014 data the Skills Funding Agency has 1290 employees in the organisation and 32 of these are apprentices.
	No direct employees and contracted workers of the Skills Funding Agency are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
	Our 32 apprentices which equates to 2.5% of our workforce are all paid above the National Minimum wage, albeit below the level set by the Living Wage Foundation.
	I hope this satisfactorily addresses your question. If you have any follow up queries, please let me know.
	Letter from Ed Lester, dated 24 January 2014
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 184437 tabled on 22 January 2014 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the fate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.
	I can confirm that no staff or contractors employed by Land Registry are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage foundation as a living wage.
	I hope that you find this information useful.
	Letter from Richard Judge, dated 27 January 2014
	The Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his , Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. My response relates to the Insolvency Service, an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Insolvency Service currently has no employees who earn less than the living wage. There are presently 25 agency workers who earn less than the living wage. This represents 15% of the total number of agency workers and contractors currently assigned to the Insolvency Service. In accordance with the Agency Workers' Regulations, if these 25 agency workers' assignments with the Insolvency Service reach 12 weeks' duration, they will be paid a rate greater than the living wage.

Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of expenditure on his Department's procurement contracts was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) the North East, (f) the North West, (g) Yorkshire and the Humber, (h) the East Midlands, (i) the West Midlands, (j) the East of England, (k) London, (l) the South East and (m) the South West in the last three years for which figures are available.

Jennifer Willott: This information is not held centrally within the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13 show that the use of small and medium-sized enterprises across the BIS family exceeded the Government's 25% target.
	In addition, since January 2011 central Government Departments have been required to publish information on the contracts they award on Contracts Finder:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

Resignations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department compiles statistics on the destination of staff leaving to work in the private sector.

Jennifer Willott: BIS does not centrally compile statistics on the destination of staff leaving to work in the private sector and this information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. For two years after their last day of service, former civil servants are required to comply with the Business Appointment Rules when taking up employment or an outside appointment.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of the remaining shareholding the Government holds in Royal Mail; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: No decisions have been taken on the future of the Government's remaining shareholding in Royal Mail.

Student Opportunity Fund

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to announce the allocation for the Student Opportunity Fund for 2014-15.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is currently going through the process of allocating budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16 and will set out plans in the usual way in due course.

Student Opportunity Fund: Herefordshire

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the value of the Student Opportunity Fund to learners in Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency.

David Willetts: This information is not held at constituency level. The Student Opportunity Fund is part of the overall Teaching Grant allocated to Higher Education Institutions by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Funding is not allocated directly to individual learners. The allocations are designed to target funding towards those institutions that do more to widen participation or that recruit students who are likely to need more support.

Wool: Competition

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will request the Groceries Code Adjudicator to investigate the gap between the price wool farmers receive for fleece and the shelf price of that fleece.

Jennifer Willott: The Groceries Supply Code of Practice does not cover price setting or relationships between indirect suppliers and the supermarkets. It is for the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), Christine Tacon, to decide whether to launch an investigation into a potential breach of the Groceries Code. The Adjudicator will only act where there is corroborated evidence of a potential breach of the Code, which must relate to the direct supply of groceries to one of the ten large retailers covered by the Code. Further information on the GCA can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/gca

EDUCATION

Pupil Exclusions

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what training is received by members of independent review panels which consider school exclusion decisions.

Elizabeth Truss: Section 51A of the Education Act 2002 and regulations made under this section require the arranging authority to ensure that all independent review panel members have received training within the two years prior to the date of the review. That training must have covered:
	1. the requirements of the primary legislation, regulations and statutory guidance governing exclusions (which includes an understanding of how the principles applicable in an application for judicial review relate to the panel's decision making);
	2. the need for the panel to observe procedural fairness and the rules of natural justice;
	3. the role of the chair of a review panel;
	4. the role of the clerk to a review panel;
	5. the duties of head teachers, governing bodies and the panel under the Equality Act 2010; and
	6. the effect of section 6 of the Human Rights Acts 1998 and the need to act in a manner compatible with human rights protected by that Act.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Wayne David: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what support his Department is giving the Bite the Ballot campaign in advance of National Voter Registration Day;
	(2)  what work his Department is undertaking to raise awareness of National Voter Registration Day.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what support his Department has given to the National Voter Registration Day run by Bite the Ballot;
	(2)  what steps he has taken in advance of National Registration Day; and if he will create a National Registration (a) Week and (b) Month.

Greg Clark: The Government welcomes initiatives that promote democratic engagement, such as Bite the Ballot's National Voter Registration Day and the British Youth Council's Make Your Mark campaign.
	Cabinet Office works with national organisations that encourage people to register to vote, as during the recent Parliament Week programme. Ministers met recently with Bite the Ballot and support their aims to increase voter registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of voter registration drives run by Bite the Ballot and of whether there are any lessons for his Department's policy in such drives.

Greg Clark: The Government is supportive of events that promote democratic engagement such as Bite the Ballot's National Voter Registration Day and welcome lessons from their experiences.
	Cabinet Office works with national organisations that encourage people to register to vote, as during the recent Parliament Week programme. Ministers met recently with Bite the Ballot and support their aims to increase voter registration.

Electoral Register: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department has taken to engage with young people to increase voter registration.

Greg Clark: The Government is making available up to £4.2 million this year to maximise the rate of voter registration ahead of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in 2014.
	To improve registration levels for young people, Cabinet Office has made the Rock Enrol! learning resource available, which promotes democratic engagement and encourages young people to register to vote.
	Cabinet Office also manages a student forum that brings together key people within the Higher/Further Education sector, the National Union of Students and local authorities with the highest student populations. The forum shares best practice to reinforce the maximum registration of students and increases IER awareness across the Higher/Further Education sector.

New Towns

Hilary Benn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many officials in his Office are currently working on matters relating to new towns and garden cities;

Nicholas Clegg: Policy responsibility for housing and planning, including new towns and garden cities, sits with the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Deputy Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Office work with departments on all areas of government policy.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicles, by type, his Department purchased as an urgent operational requirement for use in Afghanistan will be a part of the Core Equipment Programme; and how many such vehicles will be disposed of.

Philip Dunne: For information relating to the number of urgent operational requirement (UOR) vehicles, by type, that will be part of the core equipment programme, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 465, to the hon. Member for Poole (Mr Syms).
	The planned disposal of vehicles procured through the UOR process is under consideration, and decisions will be made at the appropriate time.

Military Aircraft

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which body is responsible for initiating prosecutions for carrying out laser pen attacks on military aircraft.

Mark Francois: The Crown Prosecution Service is responsible for initiating prosecutions based on evidence supplied by the civil police.

Military Aircraft

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military pilots have been relieved from duty after a laser pen attack in the last three years.

Mark Francois: Data on aircrew being removed from flying duties following laser illumination are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2013, Official Report, column 202W, on military aircraft, how many laser pen incidents were reported to the police; and how many such reports resulted in a conviction.

Mark Francois: holding answer 27 January 2014
	The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Defence.
	The use of lasers against an aircraft is contrary to Civil Aviation Authority regulations. Under Civil Aviation Publication 493, air traffic control units are required to contact the civil police when a laser incident is reported to them.
	Laser pen offences are dealt with by the police and prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Nigeria

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on providing support to the Federal Government of Nigeria in tackling oil theft in the Niger delta.

Mark Francois: Together with international allies the UK is working in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its member states to build regional maritime capability and enhance capacity to tackle maritime crime. The overall objective is to deliver a coherent regional approach to maritime security issues, including oil theft, in order to support regional stability.
	As part of this wider effort we are supporting Nigerian efforts to develop a professional military capable of contributing to the delivery of regional security and stability. We support Nigerian efforts to develop its capability to operate Joint Task Forces in the Delta region and in 2010 helped to establish the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre in Lagos. We expect to continue delivering professional naval training and will continue where we can to assist the Nigerian Government in its efforts to improve security in the maritime environment.

Publications

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's new risk framework;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's new control framework.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence's top-level governance framework, including its approach to internal controls and risk management, is set out in the document “How Defence Works”, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. As part of our work to implement Lord Levene's 'Defence Reform' recommendations and reach Full Operating Capability for the Department's new delegated operating model in the spring, we are currently considering potential improvements to the Department's internal control, risk management, and assurance frameworks. The outcome of this work will be incorporated in the next edition of 'How Defence Works', which is expected to be published in the spring, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

RAF Northolt

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the arrangements in respect of RAF Northolt which allow commercial operators to attract additional traffic by offering prices at levels below which civilian airports can compete; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: RAF Northolt charges for landing fees and ramp services for commercial aircraft using the airfield. These charges are market tested on an annual basis to ensure charging is in line with local markets and that those charges are equal to or greater than those charged by local markets.
	Under the Wider Markets Initiative, RAF Northolt, through a Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) licence, rents an airside lounge to a commercial company. Northolt Jet Centre Premier Passenger Service is managed by London City Airport Jet Centre Ltd and charges customers for passenger handling at RAF Northolt in accordance with the terms of the DIO licence. London City Jet Centre set their own charges to the customer directly. While the Ministry of Defence receives a passenger throughput concession payment the Department has no involvement in what London City Jet Centre charges.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the replacement value is of a single UK Trident warhead.

Philip Dunne: The UK is not producing replacement Trident warheads and costing for a future warhead is subject to consideration in the next Parliament.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent contact her Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts her Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have any contracts with Curzon Education or Curzon Institute.

South Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the efficacy of humanitarian assistance in South Sudan.

Alan Duncan: On 23 January the UN reported an estimated 575,500 people displaced in South Sudan, with less than half reached by humanitarian assistance. Challenges to the provision of assistance include the remoteness of some locations, rapid changes to the security environment and a high incidence of cases of looting of humanitarian assets. There are increasing concerns about interference in humanitarian activities by military or political actors. We have called upon all parties to the conflict to ensure safe and secure access for humanitarian agencies, to respect their neutrality, and to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law to avoid civilian casualties or direct attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
	The UK has already allocated £12.5 million in response to the crisis, and a further £19 million previously programmed is being used now to support the response. This includes funding for the UN's Humanitarian Air Service, which airlifts aid workers and life-saving supplies into difficult to reach areas.

World Bank

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure that the future strategy of the World Bank gives priority to promoting gender equality.

Alan Duncan: Improving the lives of girls and women is a key priority. In her role as UK Governor to the Bank and member of the World Bank's Advisory Council on Gender, the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), consistently raises this issue at the bank's spring and autumn meetings. She will continue to press the bank to promote gender equality across its policies and improve the implementation of these policies in its programmes on the ground. The UK recently has secured important reforms to the way the World Bank promotes gender equality, including making it a key theme in the recent replenishment of the International Development Association.

CABINET OFFICE

Curzon Institute

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  when representatives of the Curzon Institute met with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in the last three years;
	(2)  on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have met Afzal Anim.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the published information on ministerial meetings at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications
	Information on permanent secretaries' meeting with external organisations is at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries-meetings-with-external-organisations
	Information requested in respect of other officials' meetings is not held centrally.

Deregulation Bill

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will revise the impact statement of the Deregulation Bill to reflect the amendments to that Bill since July 2013.

Oliver Letwin: The Deregulation Bill contains a large number of provisions relating to business, individual and public sector deregulation. The Cabinet Office has provided the Vote Office with copies of the full impact assessment for each measure for which one is required.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

Francis Maude: Since 2010 this Government has been working to rationalise its estate and dispose of unnecessary properties. We have got out of hundreds of properties and now publish more details than ever before on how Departments are using their buildings. Our work to rationalise the Government's property estate resulted in the disposal of 401 buildings in 2012-13, saving the taxpayer £620 million last year alone. Government space planned for disposal is already published online on:
	www.gov.uk
	and there are further details listed online for each site.

Minister Without Portfolio

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many staff were employed in the Office of the Minister Without Portfolio, the right hon. Member for West Dorset in January 2012; and what the salary of each such member of staff is;
	(2)  how many staff have been employed in the Office of the Minister Without Portfolio, the right hon. Member for Rushcliffe since January 2012; and what the salary of each such member of staff is;
	(3)  how many staff were employed in the Office of the Minister Without Portfolio, the right hon. Member for South Holland and the Deepings, since January 2012; and what the salary of each such member of staff is.

Francis Maude: The Minister for Government Policy, my right hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Mr Letwin), has been Minister for Government Policy since May 2010 and has not occupied a post as Minister Without Portfolio.
	The Minister without Portfolio, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), became Minister Without Portfolio in September 2012.
	The Minister without Portfolio, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), became the Minister without Portfolio in April 2013.
	Five or fewer staff have been employed at any one time in either of these offices of these Ministers without Portfolio with salaries ranging between £19,000 and £45,000 per annum.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 970W.

Public Appointments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is towards second term appointments for the boards of public bodies.

Francis Maude: Reappointments should be considered carefully, on a case by case basis, with no presumption of an entitlement to be reappointed. A satisfactory performance assessment is also essential for reappointment, as set out clearly in the Commissioner for Public Appointment's Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments at:
	http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Code-of-Practice-20121.pdf

New Towns

Hilary Benn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in his Department are currently working on matters relating to new towns and garden cities.

Nicholas Clegg: Policy responsibility for housing and planning, including new towns and garden cities, sits with the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Deputy Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Office work with departments on all areas of government policy.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Community Energy Saving Programme

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total amount of fines levied on companies who failed their Community Energy Saving Programme obligations is; how much of the total has been collected; and how the money collected is being used by his Department.

Gregory Barker: Whether or not to impose a fine on energy companies who failed to achieve their Community Energy Saving Programme obligation is a matter for the regulator, Ofgem. Ofgem is undertaking formal enforcement investigations into all of the parties who failed to achieve their CESP obligation and will consider whether or not a penalty is appropriate as part of these investigations.
	Any fines imposed following Ofgem's enforcement investigations would pass to HM Treasury. Where appropriate, Ofgem is also able to conclude investigations by way of a settlement whereby monies may be distributed to consumers or to other groups.

Community Energy Saving Programme

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many companies failed to meet their Community Energy Saving Programme obligations in the last year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The final Ofgem Communities Energy Saving Programme report to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), showed that three Energy Suppliers and three Energy generators did not meet their obligations:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/58763/cesp-final-report-2013final-300413.pdf

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Gregory Barker: The financial records of the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that no payments have been made to either to Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.
	The information requested of contacts with these organisations, or contracts, is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office website, which can be found at:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	The Department would be able to provide further contract information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.

Eggborough Power Station

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons Eggborough power station has been marked for closure.

Michael Fallon: Decisions on the closure of power stations are a matter for their owners. There are a number of factors likely to affect those decisions, including age, condition of a station and its ability to supply electricity competitively.

Eggborough Power Station

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the socio-economic effect of the closure of Eggborough power plant in 2015;
	(2)  what economic impact assessment his Department has made of the closure of Eggborough power plant in 2015.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the closure of the Eggborough power plant on the UK supply chain;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the closure of the Eggborough power plant on the supply chain in the local economy.

Michael Fallon: The Department has made no such assessment. In circumstances where there is an imminent risk of a business closure that has potential implications for direct and in-direct employment and the local and wider UK supply chain, central and local government works together with those affected to ensure the impact on jobs, businesses and communities is mitigated as far as possible.

Eggborough Power Station

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons Eggborough is no longer listed as an energy plant for biomass energy generation.

Michael Fallon: The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES1) published by the Department and the Renewables Obligation Register2 published by Ofgem classify Eggborough power station as both a coal and an accredited biomass fuelled plant respectively.
	In addition, under the Final Investment Decision (FID) Enabling for Renewables3 process, Eggborough Power Ltd biomass conversion applications were listed under the 16 projects which met the Phase 2 minimum threshold evaluation criteria (published on 4 December). Although Eggborough is not on the list of the 10 projects that have been assessed as provisionally affordable (published on 19 December), their applications remains in the process. The final selection of projects and affordability assessment will be carried out following the receipt of binding applications in March, with the potential for project rankings to change if project circumstances change, or if some projects do not submit binding applications. Given the commercial nature of this process it is not appropriate to comment on the specifics of Eggborough's application.
	1 DUKES Chapter 5.11 Power stations in the United Kingdom
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes
	2 Ofgem Renewables Register
	https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk
	3 Further details of the FID Enabling for Renewables process can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/increasing-certainty-for-investors-in-renewable-electricity-final-investment-decision-enabling-for-renewables

Electricity: North East

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much electricity was used by industrial users in the North East in each year since 1997.

Gregory Barker: Data for sub-national electricity use are available from 2005 to 2012 and are split by sector (domestic and non-domestic) only. Data prior to 2005 are not available.
	Data for non-domestic electricity consumption in the North East are shown as follows. The published data are available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sub-national-electricity-consumption-data
	
		
			 Non-domestic electricity consumption in the north east between 2005 and 2012 
			  Non-domestic electricity consumption in the north east (GWh) 
			 2005 9,348.8 
			 2006 9,314.7 
			 2007 8,912.3 
			 2008 8,537.4 
			 2009 7,792.9 
			 2010 7,892.3 
			 2011 7,471.9 
			 20121 6,435.6 
			 1 Data for 2012 are provisional 
		
	
	Estimates have been produced based on information from the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, which are used to produce the Departments sub-national electricity consumption statistics.

Energy Companies Obligation

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what monitoring his Department undertakes of the development of local energy efficiency projects for which Energy Companies Obligation support (a) has been agreed or (b) is envisaged.

Gregory Barker: The Department has ongoing dialogue with all obligated parties on a regular basis to understand how delivery is taking place on the ground across Great Britain as a whole. However, how individual energy suppliers meet their obligation is ultimately, a commercial decision for them to take.
	While DECC doesn't formally monitor the progress of individual projects, the Department does monitor the delivery of ECO measures installed at a local authority (LA) level. Information showing ECO delivery by LA is available in the latest quarterly Statistical Release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-september-2013
	(see Map 1.2 and Table 1.10a).

Energy Companies Obligation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Derby North of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 976 on energy efficiency, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of measures installed under the Energy Company Obligation that were in off-grid households.

Gregory Barker: A table showing the provisional number of Energy Company Obligation (ECO) measures by main fuel type of property and ECO obligation, up to 30 September 2013, is available in the latest quarterly Statistical Release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-september-2013
	(Table 1.11). While Table 1.11 does not confirm how many are off the gas grid, it does demonstrate how many properties have a main fuel type that isn't gas. Government will be consulting on options that could secure greater levels of ECO support for off grid homes as part of the forthcoming consultation on the future of ECO.

Energy Companies Obligation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 992, on the Energy Companies Obligation scheme (ECO), what the evidential basis is for the statement that the number of people who will receive assistance under the ECO scheme has increased as a result of the changes to green levies.

Gregory Barker: The proposed changes to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), announced by Government on 2 December 2013, include extending the scheme from 2015 to 2017. The proposed extension to the scheme will therefore provide two further years of assistance for households in need of insulation and heating measures, allowing more people to benefit from ECO.

Energy: Competition

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 990, on wholesale energy market, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the introduction of a ring-fence between the generation and retail arms of vertically-integrated energy companies on levels of competition in the wholesale energy market.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem, the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition and Markets Authority are currently undertaking the first annual competition assessment for the gas and electricity markets. Their report will be published in March 2014 and as part of the assessment the authorities will be looking at the impact of vertical integration on competition. The regulators will set out the next steps, which may include recommendations to Government.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 983, what recent discussions he has had with energy suppliers on an energy price freeze.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has had a number of discussions with energy suppliers about a range of market issues.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Derby North of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 976, on energy efficiency, what the evidential basis is for the statement that an energy price freeze would damage the interests of consumers.

Michael Fallon: An energy price freeze could reduce competition in the market, as small suppliers would find it more difficult to manage unpredictable hikes in wholesale prices or increases to network and distribution charges if they are unable to increase their prices. An independent study published by Cornwall Energy, “The Detrimental Impact of a Price Freeze on Energy Supply Competition,” on 22 January 2014 concluded that:
	“that a blanket price freeze would turn “friendly fire” on the smaller players whose competitiveness is doing ever more to keep bills down and improve service to customers.”
	Competition is key to delivering better value for consumers and businesses. It is also likely that suppliers will raise their prices before a price freeze comes into force in order to compensate for the loss of flexibility during the price freeze period.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Derby North of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 976, on energy efficiency, what the evidential basis is for the statement that an energy price freeze would harm investment.

Michael Fallon: A stable and predictable energy regulatory framework is needed to facilitate investment and sustainable economic growth. An energy price freeze could increase the risk of investing in the GB energy market. This has been raised by many industry analysts and commentators, including the OECD.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Ham of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 977 on energy efficiency, by what criteria his Department assesses whether a consumer is on the cheapest tariff for their needs.

Michael Fallon: A consumer would be assessed to be on a supplier's cheapest tariff for their needs when they are on the tariff offered by their supplier which is in line with their preferences (the payment method they have chosen and whether they have opted for standard variable rate tariff or a fixed term, fixed price tariff) and which has the lowest expected cost to the consumer based on their energy use over the previous year.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 990, on wholesale energy market, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the introduction of a ring-fence between the generation and retail arms of vertically-integrated energy companies could push up prices.

Michael Fallon: The vertically integrated business model can allow companies to achieve lower costs of capital. Measures that increase these rates will increase costs for the end consumer. Ofgem, the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition and Markets Authority will be reporting on the role of vertical integration as part of their competition assessment to be delivered in March 2014. This will provide further clarity on the relative costs and benefits of the business model on competition and consumer bills.

Fracking

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what additional funding the Environment Agency will receive in order to meet the needs of the shale gas industry.

Dan Rogerson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The issue of environmental licences and permits at individual shale gas sites is financed through the Environment Agency's charges. The Environment Agency will ensure that it allocates sufficient resources within its overall budget to regulate a safe and sustainable shale gas industry.

Green Deal Scheme: Wales

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal (a) expressions of interest and (b) approvals there have been in Wales since the start of the scheme.

Gregory Barker: Up to 30 September 2013 there were 4,202 Green Deal assessments in Wales.
	The number of Green Deal assessments lodged by administrative area up to 30 September 2013 is available in Table 1.6 of the latest Green Deal and ECO quarterly Official Statistics release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-september-2013
	DECC is considering releasing more detailed breakdowns of Green Deal plans as the programme becomes more established and when there are sufficient numbers of plans to offer meaningful analysis at administrative and regional level.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not own any sites.

Natural Gas: Storage

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to provide a regulatory framework that encourages the construction of greater gas storage capacity.

Michael Fallon: The GB regulatory framework is already encouraging the construction of greater gas storage capacity: two fast-cycling storage facilities have recently been completed, and two more are currently under construction. These facilities will increase current capacity by 20% and almost double daily deliverability rates from GB storage. There are a further 10 gas storage projects with planning consents in place that would provide more than double existing capacity if built.
	The Planning Act 2008 established a regime for consideration of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in England and Wales, including large-scale onshore gas storage facility projects. This regime provides greater certainty for developers on when their projects will be determined.
	The Government recently reviewed the case for changes to the regulatory regime to encourage more gas storage. We announced in September of last year that the energy security benefits did not sufficiently outweigh the significant costs which could have amounted to £750 million over 10 years, and so we would not be taking forward any of the options considered in the review. Details of this review and a summary of the decision can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gas-security-policy-assessment

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on the Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Energy Strategy and Future and Electricity Market Reform in the second table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Energy Strategy and Future and Electricity Market Reform are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Electricity Market Reform—repayment of contingencies fund advance from 2012-12 4,651 
			 Electricity Market Reform set up costs 6,634 
			 Total 11,285

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Science and Innovation in the second table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Science and Innovation are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Resource  
			 Climate Change Science 20,173 
			 UK Energy Analysis 3,000 
			 National Mitigation Analysis and Evidence Base 1,938 
			 Non R&D Expenditure 120 
			 IPCC Programme 400 
			 Hadley Centre Recharges -4,100 
			 Delivery of DECC Energy Innovation 1,728 
			 Offshore Wind 100 
			 Marine Energy 150 
			 Buildings Innovation 132 
			 Next Generation Carbon Capture Demonstration 150 
			 Advanced Waste and Biomass Conversion Technologies 50 
			 Electricity Storage Technologies 610 
			 Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund: Power Technologies Call 1,000 
			 Nuclear Fission 630 
			 Carbon Trust Pyrolysis Challenge 420 
			 Carbon Trust Polymer Fuel Cells Challenge 370 
			 Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator 1,800 
			 Carbon Trust Entrepreneurs Fast Track 50 
			 Carbon Trust TINA 490 
			 Total 29,211 
			   
			 Capital  
			 Non R&D Expenditure 120 
			 Offshore Wind 7,300 
			 Marine Energy 4,000 
			 Buildings Innovation 9,375 
			 Next Generation Carbon Capture Demonstration 15,200 
			 Advanced Waste and Biomass Conversion Technologies 2,300 
			 Electricity Storage Technologies 10,000 
			 Renewable Hydrogen Production 700 
			 Energy Entrepreneurs' Fund: Power Technologies Call 16,000 
			 Nuclear Fission 1,500 
			 Carbon Trust Pyrolysis Challenge 2,550 
			 Carbon Trust Polymer Fuel Cells Challenge 900 
			 Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator 5,400 
			 Total 75,345

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading National Energy Efficiency in the first table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading National Energy Efficiency are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Climate Change Economic Analysis 1,900 
		
	
	
		
			 Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP)-Contribution to Ofgem 1,995 
			 Renewable Energy Development Support 728 
			 Total 4,623

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading of Smart Meters in the first table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Smart Meters relate to a single area of activity as detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Roll out of Smart Meters 16,595 
			 Total 16,595 
		
	
	The Smart Meters programme aims to replace 53 million meters with smart electricity and gas meters in all domestic properties, and smart or advanced meters in smaller non-domestic sites, impacting approximately 30 million premises.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Carbon Capture and Storage in the second table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Roadmap published in April 2012 sets out work on policy development, projects and programmes that are being taken forward in order to create conditions where CCS can be deployed at commercial scale in the UK.
	The funding set out in the answer given to the right hon. Member on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, covers civil servant costs and external advisors delivering the CCS Commercialisation Programme. This is separate from and in addition to the £l billion capital grant to support projects in the CCS Commercialisation Programme and £20 million over four years to take forward CCS related research and development as part of the cross-Government £125 million CCS R&D and innovation programme.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading National Carbon Markets in the first table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading National Carbon Markets are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Climate Change Agreements and Energy Intensive Industries support 1,500 
			 Total 1,500

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Green Deal in the first table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Green Deal are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Resource  
			 ECO Administration 3,276 
			 Energy Savings Advice Service 3,996 
			 Energy Technologies List 1,465 
			 Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body 2,024 
			 Green Deal—Landmark Development 1,319 
			 Green Deal Ombudsman 1,170 
			 Green Deal—Data Monitoring IT Solutions 997 
			 Green Deal—Community Energy Saving Programme 1,292 
			 ECO Brokerage 875 
			 Home Energy Efficiency Database 66 
			 Green Deal—National Occupation Standards 220 
			 Green Deal—Occupancy Assessment Tool 165 
			 Green Deal—Solid Wall 20 
			 Green Deal—Products and Measures 325 
			 Green Deal Regional Events and Training 1,737 
			 Green Deal Marketing 5,334 
			 Green Deal—Local Authority Home Energy Conservation Association support 500 
			 Green Deal Finance Systems and testing 50 
			 Total 24,831 
			   
			 Capital  
			 Green Deal Launch Incentives 121,600 
			 Green Deal Core Cities 20,000 
			 Green Deal Finance Company Costs 28,400 
			 Total 170,000

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 952-3W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Fuel Poverty in the first table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Fuel Poverty are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Resource—Warm Homes Discount 4,298 
			 Capital—Warm Front Measures 6,000 
			 Total 10,298

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report , column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Oil and Gas in the second table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Oil and Gas are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Hydrocarbons Additional Recovery 1,909 
			 Unconventional Oil and Gas Community 50 
			 Unconventional Oil and Gas Regulatory 50 
			 Environmental Surveys 1,200 
			 Marine Pollution Control Unit—Oil Spills Aerial Surveillance Detection 40 
			 Other Competitiveness Projects 200 
			 EDU IT—Programme Pay 160 
			 Oil and Gas IT Environmental Portal Costs 700 
			 Oil and Gas IT Environmental Running Costs 350 
			 Oil and Gas IT Electricity Infrastructure Portal 360 
			 Oil and Gas IT Environmental—EEMS 300 
			 Offshore Environmental Permits A-In-A -8,131 
			 Offshore Environmental Permits 5,059 
			 Reclassified Oed Costs 612 
			 Project Camelot Levy Agreement: CFER Receipt -75 
			 Compulsory purchase orders hearings 20 
			 Section 36 and 37 Public Inquiries -40 
			 Planning Act 2008 DCOs (Development Consents Order) 20 
			 Wayleave Hearings 107 
			 Total 2,891

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Renewable Energy Development in the second table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Non-Domestic Costs 12,600 
			 Renewable Heat Premium Programme—Administration 470 
			 Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme 200 
			 Offshore Renewables 320 
			 DECC Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) Support 200 
		
	
	The disaggregated amount shown in the table above differs by £2.5 million from the total shown in the Main Estimates. The balance is attributable to external advice for the ‘Final Investment Decision Enabling: Hinkley Point C’. This amount should have been attributed to ‘New Nuclear for Final Investment Decision Enabling’ advice.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Drive ambitious action on climate change at home and abroad in the third table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading ‘Drive ambitious action on Climate Change at home’ are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Efficiency Scheme 1,225 
			 Total 1,225

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading EU ETS and Tax in the third table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading EU ETS and Tax relates to the operation of a single area of activity as detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) 895 
			 Total 895

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading International and EU Energy and Security in the third table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading International and EU Energy and Security are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 International Technology Collaboration 663 
			 Climate Technology Initiative 12 
			 International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Subscription 1,000 
			 Energy Charter 400 
			 International Energy Agency (IEA) Annual Budget Contribution 1,250 
			 International Energy Forum (IEF) Annual Budget Contribution 75 
			 Total 3,400

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading International Climate Change in the third table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading International Climate Change are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 UN International Subscriptions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) 2,500 
			 Global Commission on the Economy and Climate 200 
			 Global Carbon Finance 200 
			 Total 2,900

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Coal Pensions in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Coal pensions relate to the costs of administering the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) and the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme (MPS).
	
		
			  £000 
			 Coal pensions administration 250 
			 Total 250

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Civil Nuclear Liabilities in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading ‘Civil Nuclear Liabilities’ are: Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS); and Nuclear and Radioactive Waste Policy—Technical Support.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading British Energy Liabilities in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading British Energy Liabilities relate to a single area of activity as detailed in the following table. As a result of the restructuring of British Energy in January 2005, the Government assists British Energy in meeting its contractual historic fuel liabilities.
	
		
			  £000 
			 British Energy Funding Historic Liabilities Funding 244,845 
			 Total 244,845

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading International Climate Fund in the third table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: In 2013, DECC invested its budget from the UK's International Climate Fund in the following major programmes and projects:
	
		
			 Programme name Description of programme 
			 Clean Technology Fund A major climate fund that supports the demonstration, deployment and transfer of low carbon technology in 17 developing countries. 
			 BioCarbon Fund A forest fund that supports long-term changes in forest and land management. 
			 Carbon Market Finance—Climate Initiative for Development (CiDev) CiDev aims to build capacity and help deliver carbon market finance to least developed countries. 
			 Global Climate Partnership Fund (GCPF) A global fund that uses public finance to help leverage flows of private finance to SME and household energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in a range of developing countries. 
			 Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) Facility The NAMA Facility rewards those developing countries that demonstrate strong political leadership in climate change, by supporting the implementation of the most ambitious mitigation actions. 
			 Get FiT Get FiT supports investment in small scale renewable energy plants in Uganda. 
			 International Carbon Capture and Storage Capacity Building This programme supports developing countries to develop both the technical and institutional knowledge necessary to enable the deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies. 
			 International 2050 Calculator Partnership This programme provides technical support to developing countries to prepare their own version of DECC's 2050 calculator to help them understand better the full range of choices for producing and using energy up to 2050. 
			 International Climate Fund Mid-term evaluation An evaluation report by the consultancy company ICF GHK, marking the mid-term stage of the International Climate Fund covered by the 2010 comprehensive spending review. 
			 Policy Risk Study A study carried out by Cambridge Economic Policy Associates developing evidence-based options for policy risk insurance for renewables in Africa and Asia.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to Annex A of his Department's Main Estimate 2013-14 entitled Detailed breakdown of Part II table changes from 2012-13, (a) what programmes are supported and (b) how much funding each such programme receives under the sub-heading R Renewable Heat Incentive.

Gregory Barker: The programmes funded under the heading Renewable Heat Incentive are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Resource annually managed expenditure (AME)—Renewable heat incentive 126,000 
			 Capital annually managed expenditure (AME)—Renewable heat premium payment scheme 5,000 
			 Total 131,000

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 952W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Heat Strategy, Policy and Delivery in the first table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: This heading covers the work that DECC does to decrease carbon emissions from heat. As explained in our publication of March 2013 document, "The Future of Heating: Meeting the Challenge", heat use accounts for nearly half of all the energy use in the UK. The heat budget does not include funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. It funds a number of broader programmes announced in the March document addressing industrial heat use and the growth in heat networks, support for training the renewable heat supply chain and for research and economic analysis as well as some direct grant funding through the Heat Network Delivery Unit. In addition, the budget covers two regulatory operations: the quality assurance scheme for Combined Heat and Power plants (CHP QA) and the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for the energy performance of homes, as well as a contribution to joint DECC-DEFRA work to support community-scale renewable projects in rural areas. The breakdown of the £9 million overall budget in 2013-14 is as follows:
	£4.5 million for the Heat Network Delivery Unit
	£2.41 million for delivery of other commitments in March 2013 document
	£1.34 million for the CHP QA scheme
	£750,000 for SAP

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Nuclear Security in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: DECC is responsible for seeking assurance that security, emergency planning and safety arrangements at civil nuclear sites are effective and proportionate, meet regulatory and policy requirements and maintain the internationally recognised principle of continuous improvement. Approximately £1 million per annum of the resource funding set out under the Nuclear Security line in my answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, is for that work. The remaining resource sum maintains the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET); a UK wide network of gamma radiation monitors which utilise Geographic Information System and Ordnance Survey digital mapping to continuously monitor the level of radioactivity in the UK.
	The capital budget, £1.2 million in 2013-14, was funding set aside for improvements to the Department's Emergency Operations Centre, although this work has since been deferred.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on Supply Estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Non-Proliferation in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The Non-Proliferation heading covers subscriptions and support to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on supply estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading, Global Threat Reduction Programmes in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The Global Threat Reduction Programme (GTRP) is a cross-government programme aimed to successfully reduce the threats posed by nuclear and radiological materials and expertise in vulnerable locations worldwide. DECC is responsible for implementing the nuclear and radiological elements of the GTRP. GTRP has a mature portfolio of programmes aimed at improving the security of sensitive nuclear and radiological materials and knowledge, and reducing the number of sites containing such material. To date, the Global Threat Reduction Programme has contributed to reducing vulnerabilities and improving security and safety in 18 beneficiary countries.
	Much of GTRP's work is sensitive, due to the nature of the material and knowledge it aims to protect, and so the level of detail which can be provided on specific projects is necessarily limited. Of the funds identified as allocated to the Global Threat Reduction Programme in my answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, capital was allocated to programmes which include a planned contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) Nuclear Security Fund and a project to retrieve and store highly radioactive sources in Ukraine, and resource was allocated to programmes which include a series of projects to improve nuclear information security and security, culture in a number of countries, and the completion of a sustainability programme to support previous completed nuclear security improvements in Russia.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 953W, on supply estimates, what programmes, projects and policies are funded under the heading Concessional Fuel in the fourth table in 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, projects and policies funded under the heading Concessionary Fuel are detailed in the following table. The National Concessionary Fuel Scheme provides either solid fuel or a cash alternative to former employees of the British Coal Corporation and their widows.
	
		
			  £000 
			 Concessionary Fuel Administration 1,090 
			 Concessionary Fuel Scheme 50,498 
			 Total 51,588